Just You and Me, Babe!
by babealltheway
Summary: This is a sequel to 'On the Run'. It's about the beginning of Stephanie and Ranger as a married couple and how they navigate the waters of marital harmony. ***Smut Warning for all chapter's apply*** Story is continued in After the Darkness - coming soon.
1. Chapter 1

***This story is a sequel to On the Run. It's a story about the beginning of Ranger and Stephanie as a married couple. There won't be much angst in this story, just a lot of fluff, **SMUT **and love. I don't own anything and not making any money. Hope you enjoy!

***Conclusion of Chapter 17 of On the Run****

_Ranger swept his bride up into his arms and carried her out of the courthouse, down the steps and to the truck. He placed her in the truck, buckled her seatbelt and kissed her deeply. "Babe, I know this is going to sound corny, but, thank you, for making me the happiest man alive."_

_Stephanie placed her hands on the sides of his face and pulled him toward her for a soft kiss. "Yeah, but I like it. Now, take me home, Batman." _

_His smile was almost blinding, as he replied, "As you wish, Mrs. Manoso."_

"Just You and Me, Babe"

Chapter 1

"The Trip Home – Part 1"

He saw her squirm out of the corner of his eye. He knew it was always difficult for her to sit still and not talk while she traveled. He, on the other hand, enjoyed the peace and quiet of the open road. He waited……3……2…..1 and smirked when she blew out a breath.

"Ok. That's all I can take. You have to talk while we drive, or I'll go insane."

"Babe, we haven't been on the road an hour yet and you're bored with me already." He loved trying to get a rise out of her.

"Ranger, being bored with my husband is not possible. Bored with the ride, now that's a different story. I have to keep my mind occupied or sleep and I don't want to sleep yet." She wanted to talk, to know more about her 'husband'. Wow! The word 'husband' sent goose bumps up her arms and warmth all the way to her doodah.

"Babe, did you hear me?" Ranger looked at his wife with a single raised eyebrow.

She could see the glint of humor in his eyes. "Um…no…actually, I got a little distracted by the word 'husband'."

He laughed out loud, took her hand and pressed a kiss to the knuckle above her wedding rings. "Mind boggling, isn't it? So, what do you want to talk about?"

A little shiver ran through her from the sensation of his lips on her hand. He was willing to talk, so she was going to take full advantage of it. "Tell me about growing up, you know, a little background information is going to be necessary when I meet your family."

He nodded, but she could see some troubled thoughts behind his eyes as he told her about his brother and sister's. "I have a younger brother and sister, Manuel and Celia and an older sister, Isabel. They're all married with several children each. Celia's my favorite."

His voice, low and tense, alerted her to the underlying tension between him and his siblings. She sensed that he didn't like to talk about it. "Why is Celia your favorite?"

He smiled warmly as he thought of her, "She's the only one who supports my lifestyle. The other's think that I should get a 'safe' job and be like them."

She noticed that he hadn't mentioned his parent's. "And your parents, what do they think?"

She thought he almost sighed, but of course not, Ranger never sighs. "My Dad died when I was in the Army and my Mom tries to understand about my life. However, I have to warn you; she won't be very understanding about you and me."

Stephanie's frowned petulantly at his words, "Why?"

He took a deep breath, "Because, you're white, not Cuban and you don't speak Spanish. Babe, I'm not telling you this to hurt your feelings. I'm trying to be honest and up front about it, so, you'll be prepared for her disapproval. I also wanted you to know that no matter what her feelings, they won't make a difference to me. I love you and will stand with you. I'm not a very religious man, but I do believe in a higher power and know that the Bible says, leave and cleave. Just you and me, Babe, that's all that really matters."

Her stomach churned with worry over his words. She didn't want to cause hard feelings between him and his family. "Did they feel this way about Rachel? She's white and you two have a child together."

He thought about it for a minute, trying to figure out how best to explain this to her. "Babe, I didn't give them much of a chance to object or not. Like you, I was married for all of two seconds. They don't know her or Julie very well."

Stephanie contemplated his words and what they would mean to the harmony of their marriage. She flipped the phone open and put it on speaker, dialing Tank's number. She held up a finger to Ranger's raised eyebrow. When Tank answered with his customary, 'Speak', she laughed a little. "Hey, Tank."

"_Bombshell? Don't tell me that the two of you have already run into trouble."_

"No, we're on the road. I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"_At your service, Mrs. Manoso."_

She paused, he couldn't possibly know. "Excuse me?" She could see the smirk on Ranger's face. Damn, ESP.

"_Steph, what else could you have been doing all morning? Besides… I pulled up the GPS, just for kicks and saw that you guys spent the morning at first, Clausel's Jewelry store and then the Selmer Courthouse."_

Well, she was glad that he hadn't ESPed her, one clairvoyant in the family was enough for her taste. "So…..you didn't tell anybody, did you?"

"_Naw wouldn't want to spoil your fun. The whole company is going to shit, Hell, for that matter the whole town is going to have a coronary and Ranger's family….I want a front row seat for that meeting. I can't wait to see their faces. I also want to be the first to congratulate you, it's about damn time. Now, what did you need from me?"_

"Last month, I saw an ad for Spanish classes at the extension center. I was going to sign up before our recent escapade. Since today is the last day for registering, I was wondering if you could sign me up." She snuck a peek out of the corner of her eye to gauge Ranger's reaction. She saw him frown at first and then smile slightly in understanding, as he gave her hand a soft squeeze.

Ranger broke his silence and added, "Tank, while you're at it; sign Hal up, too. Put it on the Rangeman credit card; then Hal and Steph can travel to and from classes together. He's the only one left on the day shift that hasn't taken a course in Spanish. I've been meaning to get him into a class anyway." It was true, but it would also ease his mind about her leaving class at night by herself. He knew why she'd been planning to take the class and it touched him deeply.

"_10-4."_

Ranger's laughter was a low rumble at the shocked expression on Stephanie's face when she realized that Tank had hung up. "Babe, proud of you."

She let out a huff and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I can't do anything about being white or not being Cuban, but I can learn to speak the language that your family speaks. Besides, I was planning on taking the course anyway. You didn't have to pay for it, you know."

"Steph, you agreed to work with me when we get back to Trenton. There'll be some expenses that I'll want to pay for because you work for the company and then…..there'll be expenses that I'll want to take care of just because I want to. I'm your husband and I want to do things for you. That's part of the package of being married to me. I like buying you things because I love you and want you to be happy."

She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss below his ear, whispering, "thanks." Then she saw he was exiting the highway. "I hope that wherever you're going, there's food and a restroom, because both are fast becoming a necessity."

He took her to lunch at a very nice Japanese restaurant. The food was similar to Beni Hanas, but without the whole group eating experience. Instead they had a private table and their cook stayed in the kitchen. Thank goodness, because Ranger was in a playful mood. In the secluded corner, he pulled her close and draped his arm over her shoulder to play with her curls. His other hand moved stealthily under her dress and up her thigh, while he whispered words of love in her ear.

She was wet and ready by the time his fingers grazed the lace edge of her panties. She breathed his name as he stroked her through her panties. His deft fingers found her pleasure center through the thin material. When the orgasm overtook her, he swallowed her cries of passion by covering her mouth with his.

"Babe, I love to watch you come."

* * *

As soon as they got back on the road, Stephanie dug her pillow out of the backseat, spent a few minutes making her nest and snuggled down against Ranger's thigh. "You sure you don't want me to drive for a while?"

"No," his wolf grin in place, "you're going to need all your energy for our wedding night."

Since she was pretty certain he was right, she dismissed her consciences and settled down for her nap. It didn't take long for her eyes to drift shut and she was out like a light.

Ranger felt the peace, of her snuggled close, wash through him like soft rain on a warm summer's day. She did that to him and for him. As he slipped into his driving zone, he smiled to himself at her presence in the truck. It always brought a sense of calm just having her near. He searched his brain for the reasons he'd had for not having her in his life and berated himself for his previous foolishness.

The miles seemed to disappear as he thought of the life he would build with her. It was then that an image of her heavy with his child popped unbidden in his mind. At first, his stomach clenched and then she mumbled something in her sleep and his calm returned. Yeah, it was definitely an image that he'd like to see. 'Someday.'

He pulled into the drive and gently rubbed her shoulders. "Babe, wake up, we're at the motel."

His groin tightened as she sat up and stretched her arms above her head, causing the material of her dress to draw tight against her pert breasts. He couldn't resist trailing a knuckle across the peaked nipple.

She paused mid-stretched to take notice Ranger's dark eyes. He was so beautiful and all hers. Yum. She licked her lips in anticipation of the night to come.

Ranger's eyes twinkled at her reaction. "Babe, let's go check in, I'm sure there's a really great bed in there for what's on our minds."

"Where are we, Ranger?"

"Roanoke, Virginia."

As they walked into the luxurious lobby, she smiled mischievously at him. "Ah, Babe, and you were doing so good. Now you're back to one or two word answers."

He hooked an arm around her neck, "My wife, the smartass." He almost purred when she patted him on his ass.

"Yeah, but you like my ass, just as I like yours."

He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Yeah, that I do."

They checked in and Ranger guided her towards the elevator. With the bellman in the elevator, they behaved and kept their hands to themselves. When they arrived at their floor, the bellman led them into their suite.

Stephanie gawked at the room as Ranger tipped the bellman. They had entered into a living room area decorated in much the same way as Ranger's apartment. The warm colors screamed masculinity. She was guessing that he'd stayed here before because it looked like a place where he'd be comfortable. The L-shaped couch was made of several shades of deep brown suede and leather. Against the wall, there was a cherry desk, table and armoire.

The bedroom was hidden behind a black framed Japanese screen. It held a chaise lounge and a king size bed. Stephanie walked to the closed door of what she guessed was the bathroom. She opened the door and nearly melted at the sight, here was the only femininity in the entire suite. After weeks of only taking shower's at the cabin, she couldn't wait to take a dip in the Jacuzzi tub.

Ranger came up from behind her, running his hands up and down her arms. "I take it you approve." He whispered at the shell of her ear, causing goose bumps to rise on her flesh and heat to pool between her legs.

She leaned into his embrace, "It's perfect." She turned then and rested her head against his chest. "You're perfect."

He pulled back to look down at her and slipped something rectangular into her hand. "Babe, there's a boutique on level four. Go; Find something nice to wear tonight."

She looked at the credit card. She knew it wasn't the Rangeman card. It was his personal credit card with Ricardo C. Manoso stamped across the bottom. She started to object, but saw the fixed look on his face and knew that expression well.

"Babe, we're not going to have this discussion every time I want to buy you something. What's mine is yours. I'd like to see my wife in something pretty on our wedding night. And since it seems that you have none of your own belongings at this time, I'm paying. There's a lounge downstairs. I'll meet you down there at 7:00 for dinner and dancing." He gave her a warm smile. "I'll be the one in black."

Ranger humor, who would've thought? He was right, they had been under assumed names for the past two weeks and she didn't even have her own bank card. They'd been paying cash for everything and she'd forgotten that all her personal ID was still back at her apartment. Well, that is until the Merry Men moved her into their apartment. She stretched up and gave him a brief kiss. "Okay, I'll see you downstairs."

It wasn't until she was in the elevator that she wondered about what Ranger was going to wear. Once in the boutique, she realized that there must be a men's store elsewhere since this store didn't have any men's clothing. She stood in the entrance in part awe and part heaven. This boutique was even better than Macy's. They had a little of everything and she absorbed herself in shopping without worrying about the cost for the first time in her life.

Quickly, she found just the perfect dress. The bodice was snug, with a plunging neckline and the halter straps criss-crossed in the back. The skirt of the dress was reminiscent of the 20's era. It had fringe which swung loosely, making a tinkling sound when she moved. The gold color emphasized the recent tan that she'd obtained. The dress came to about two inches above her knees and made her legs look a mile long.

The sales clerk helped her to find shoes that complimented the dress and then she headed toward the lingerie section of the store. The selection wasn't as wide as Victoria Secrets, but what they had was high quality. After choosing several items that she couldn't wait to surprise Ranger with, she took her selections to check out.

The sales clerk smiled at her warmly as she handed her a felt jewelry box. "Mrs. Manoso, your husband delivered these while you were in the dressing room."

Stephanie slowly opened the box and gasped when she saw the delicate necklace with a single heart shaped diamond suspended from the chain. Matching earrings were nestled at the top edge of the silk lining. Her eyes stung with tears. No man had ever bought her jewelry, well besides Dickie and that was just once. An enclosed note rested in the lid of the box which said simply, _Love, R._

* * *

She looked in the mirror one last time to see the overall effect and almost had to do a double take. For a change, her hair had cooperated and looked great piled on top of her head. Several curls had sprung loose, but that just added to the look she was trying to achieve. She slipped on her shoes and headed down to the lounge.

Walking through the doors, it took only a minute to spot him sitting at the curved bar. Their eyes met in the mirror briefly, before he turned and walked towards her, devastatingly handsome in his black suit. His eyes raked over her appreciatively as he took her outstretched hands and pulled her gently against him. He skimmed his lips along the curve of her neck and in a voice tight with passion, he said, "Babe, remind me to loan you my credit card more often."

"Yeah, well, I'm not letting you see the receipt. You'll just have to wait for your heart attack when you get the bill."

He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm as they followed the maitre d to their table. "As far as I'm concerned, it was money well spent. You look beautiful." He helped her into her chair, and skimmed his hand down her bare back as she slid into her seat.

He poured champagne and they sipped while enjoying the soft music. The waiter came over and took their order. Ranger held out his hand and asked her to dance.

The soulful jazz wafted through the room as he guided her around the dance floor. They were lost in each other as their bodies moved in sync. They enjoyed their time together, swaying to the music, until their food arrived.

As they ate, they talked of inconsequential things, but mostly they gazed in each other's eyes, both amazed that they had found this kind of love. After their dishes had been removed, Ranger led Stephanie back to the dance floor.

He twirled her around and pulled her back against his chest, pressing his mouth to her ear. "Babe, you're killing me in this dress. I can only imagine what you have underneath."

She leaned her head back to give him better access to her neck, as his lips brushed her pulse point. "Mmmmm, guess you're going to have to just find that out for yourself."

He spun her away from his body and then quickly back into his embrace. "I plan on it……very soon. In fact, we better head on back to the room before I make a scene on the dance floor. I just want to devour you."

Ranger left some money on the table and curled his arm around her waist. Neither spoke as they made their way to their room. The sexual energy was bouncing off of them and they were lost in thoughts of their bodies moving in an entirely different kind of dance.

In the elevator, he drew her back against his chest in their 'elevator pose'. He breathed deeply of her scent, it was something new and it was having a serious effect on him. "What is that scent you're wearing? It's driving me insane."

She smiled knowingly, "It's called Essence of Woman. It has sex pheromones in it and is guaranteed to drive your lover wild."

Kissing his way up her neck, he had to restrain himself from throwing her down on the floor of the elevator and burying himself inside her it smelled so good. "Babe, wear it for me only. If you go out wearing this perfume, I'll have to shoot somebody."

The elevator doors opened and they made their way to their room. Stephanie almost sighed in disgust when his hands left her body to open the door. Inside the door, he pulled her back into his arms to continue his assault on her neck. In a matter of minutes, he'd found the hooks that held her halter top together and her dress was pooling at her feet.

The look on his face was priceless as he took in the sight of her lingerie. The bra was white with a snowflake pattern on the cups. The bottom part of the ensemble was a skirt with a thong attached to the sheer material that skimmed the edge of her doodah and hung low on her hips.

"Oh, yeah, you can have my credit card anytime! I feel like I'm opening a Christmas present."

His hands spanned her hips as he pulled her hard against his body and ground their groins together.

She felt how hard he was and groaned out loud.

"Feel what just the sight and smell of you do to me, but…this….we need to fix." He pulled loose the pins holding her hair. "I love your wild curls, love to bury my hands in them, love to feel them brush across my chest while we make love and when we sleep."

His mouth covered hers and he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom, never breaking the kiss. He stood her beside the bed, pulling the tie that held her bra. He kissed his way down the valley between her breasts, pausing only to press a tender kiss to each puckered nipple.

As his tongue circled her navel, she placed her hands on his shoulders realizing that he was still fully clothed. When he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties, she said on a low moan, "Ranger, you're overdressed. Please, I need to feel your skin against mine."

He ignored her pleas and continued to kiss a path down her legs as he removed her panties. Finally he stood and took in the sight of her standing before him completely naked. "You're so beautiful." He eased her back on the bed and began to undress.

She watched with hungry eyes as he removed his clothes, leaving them in a pile with her underwear. He lay down beside her and continued to caress her body with whisper soft hands.

He groaned at the delicate touch of her hands on his chest and arms, thinking that if he lived to be a hundred, he would never tire of the feel or the touch of her hands on his body.

They rolled and kissed, both trying to absorb each other into their own skin. When he slid silkily inside her, they both gasped at the intensity of merging, becoming one.

They entwined their hands and rode on a tidal wave of pleasure. And when they came together for the first time as man and wife, they knew that they'd found something that no one would ever come between.

Ranger rolled onto his back and pulled her tightly to his side, she lay draped across his chest. He gave her a gently squeeze, the emotion he was feeling was overwhelming. He'd always scoffed at the thought of the saying 'that the earth moved', but that's exactly what'd happened. He had no words for the feelings in his heart at this moment; the love that he felt for her was beyond verbal description.

Stephanie tried to think of something to say to express how she felt and knew she'd fail miserably. No man had ever given her such passion and tenderness at the same time. She felt something shift inside her and to say that she loved him even more than she did a few minutes ago would be precise.

"Ranger, did you feel it?"

"Yeah, Babe, I did."

She smiled as she tried to snuggle closer, "How do you say 'the earth moved' in Spanish?"

He laughed softly, her thoughts mirroring his own, "La Tierra se movie. And it did for me too."

During the night, they woke several times, reaching out for the other, pleasuring, taking, and giving. Each time they made love, it was soft and sensuous as they became one beating heart.

_****AN – Just wanted to thank my great Beta Angie who has read, reviewed and made suggestions for this story. Thanks for being my sounding board!!**_


	2. Chapter 2

*****Don't own anything – Not making any money!! ***Smut warning*** Angie, what can I say but, thank you, thank you and thank you. Babe, you're the greatest!**

_He laughed softly at her thoughts mirroring his own, "La Tierra se movie. And it did for me too."_

_During the night, they woke several times, reaching out for the other, pleasuring, taking, and giving. Each time they made love was soft and sensuous as they merged into one beating heart._

Chapter 2  
"The Trip Home – Part 2"

She struggled towards consciousness to find Ranger sitting on the bed in just his silk boxers holding a steaming cup of coffee. She blinked at the vision he made holding out the cup of liquid energy for her. All those hard muscles rippled on his bare, slick chest as he moved closer to her. It was hard to imagine that the Cuban Sex God was now all hers.

He leaned down to her, brushing his lips across hers, then running the tip of his tongue along her bottom lip, murmuring, "Morning, Babe."

A sharp shiver ran down her spine, but she managed a husky, "Morning, Ranger. Now, gimme." She inhaled the rich aroma and drank deeply. Feeling human again, she set her coffee aside and started to pull him back into bed.

"Uh uh, I've got a surprise for you." The lust and love was evident in his beautiful brown eyes.

This was her husband's 'pure sex' look and she knew whatever he had planned, she was going to enjoy it immensely. That sultry look would have her following him just about anywhere, so she let him pull her from the bed naked.

He gave her an eyebrow when she didn't dash for something to cover herself. She just shrugged her shoulders, deciding that anything she put on what just going to be removed momentarity. He led her to the bathroom and she melted at the sight before her. He had run her a bath in the Jacuzzi tub. Holding her hand, he helped into the tub and got an even bigger surprise when he began removing his boxers to join her.

He slid in behind her and pulled her tight against a rather impressive erection, "Seems you have more than one surprise for me this morning." She moaned as her body melted against his chest and pushed her ass against his erection.

He chuckled low, "I thought this would be a nice way to relax before starting the long drive home." He pushed a button on the side of the tub and the jets began swirling the hot water around their bodies.

His hands moved to her shoulders, kneeding the sore muscles from their late night activities. "I feel like you're buttering me up for something with all this pampering."

"I like pampering my wife. Lean your head back, Babe. I want to wash your hair." He couldn't resist the luxurious feel of the thick mass of her curls in his hands. He combed his hands through her tresses and smiled knowingly at her moans. Next to being buried inside her, this was one of his favorite things to do.

As he rinsed her hair, her breasts jutted out of the steamy water, causing his own groan at the sight of her arched high in the air. His hand strayed from his work to brush her peaked nipple. He felt her shiver in response. He applied conditioner before getting down to his real mission.

He adjusted her so that she was on her side cradled against his chest, her head resting in the crook of his neck. Once he had her where he wanted her, he continued to massage her arms, down to her hips and then her thighs.

She felt loose and limber by the time his hand found its' final destination and nearly wept with joy when he began to stroke her inner folds. She adjusted her foot to rest on the side of the tub to allow him greater access. His other hand pulled tighter around her back to reach her breast. He rolled her nipple while he increased the pressure at her center.

When he lifted her, using the finger inside her, to suck the other nipple into his mouth, she moaned, "Oh, God, yes." He added another finger into her slick pussy and stroked her clit with his thumb. His fingers curved inside her making the universal come here motion, stroking that special place and taking her over the edge.

He kissed her softly on her chest, neck and forehead. Then he held her close to his body as she savored the aftershocks of her climax, while leaning his head against the back of the tub with a satisfied smile on his face.

When she recovered from the orgasm that rocked her to the core, she looked up at him, "You look mighty pleased with yourself, Batman."

Never opening his eyes, he replied with the same self-satisfied smile in place, "I am. I enjoy pleasuring my woman."

She smiled wickedly, before sitting back on her haunches. She ran her hands under his ass and lifted his lower body out of the water, "My turn to pleasure my man."

Her grin widened at his sharp intake of breath as her mouth closed over just the tip of his pulsing cock. She swirled her tongue around the fat head, sucked it between her lips and then descended down the entire length. With her upward stroke, she moved so that her knees rested underneath his sculpted ass to support his weight.

He groaned out loud when her hands found his nipples, tweaking them as she sucked as much of him as she could into her warm, wet mouth. He felt as though she was worshipping him with her tender care. As her strokes increased, he felt his balls tighten. He buried his hands in her saturated hair and had to control the urge to push down on her head.

She reached up and placed her hand on top of his, signaling for him to increase the pressure and guide her movements. Dear God, in heaven, he couldn't believe that she was giving him permission to do the one thing that was every man's desire. He lost every ounce of control and began to pump wildly into her mouth, holding her head firm between his large strong hands. Repeatedly, he fucked her mouth, slamming to the very back of her throat. And she took it all as she moaned in delight at his uninhibited thrusts. He felt her throat relax even more and he shouted, "Oh, God, Stephanie,….fuck yeah," just before releasing his hot seed, coating the back of her throat.

She didn't back off; she wanted to swallow him whole. As his cum, coated the inside of her mouth, she swallowed and continued to suck until he lay shivering in her arms. She held him tenderly, resting her head against his stomach, pressing soft kisses to his navel.

He blinked several times and shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "Shit, I'm pretty sure that I had a doomsday orgasm. Where the hell did that come from?" He felt her chuckle and then sigh deeply.

"I told you that I wanted to pleasure you." She looked up at him, taking in his face, washed completely with satisfaction. "It seems that I did my job well." She slid out from under him and slithered up his body, pleased to feel him immediately harden against her stomach.

Ranger gave her a predatory look, pulled her in for a hard kiss, ""Well", is not exactly the word that I'd use. In fact, I don't think there are words for what you just did. Even the word 'extraordinary' wouldn't cover it."

He flipped her to her back and tilted her head into rinse the conditioner from her hair. With her hair finished, they rose from their cooling bath and bent to retrieve their towels. She grabbed two towels, using one to wrap her hair turban style and the other around her body tucking the edge between her breasts.

He couldn't believe that after the orgasm he'd just had that he was ready for her again, but it would seem he was insatiable when it came to her. With his towel hanging loosely aroung his hips, he backed her against the wall, delighting at her desire filled eyes.

Their chests heaved against each other as his mouth descended on hers. He tugged the towel loose from between her breasts, desperate to feel her bare skin against his chest. He lifted her and she immediately swung her legs around his waist, which pushed her hot center into his stomach. Leaning down he sucked first one and then the other nipple into his mouth, drawing deeply on each.

Her head fell back against the wall, untangling the towel from her head. She was already in a state when he carried her from the bathroom and laid her against the curved back of the chaise lounge. Her skin burned as he made a path down her torso with his tongue and kneeled between her legs, ready to pay homage to her most sensitive parts.

Ranger licked her sweet nectar from her already dripping pussy. He worked her thoroughly with his fingers until she was writhing in ecstasy. He took in the sight of her arched over the back of the lounge, her head hanging over the edge and he couldn't wait another minute to claim her. He plunged into her hard, deep and fast, reveling in her gasp of delight.

She gripped the sides of the lounge to hold herself in place; she knew she was in for a long ride after his recent orgasm. As he tortured her nipples with his hands and mouth, she gloried in the pounding that he was giving her. He seemed to be in no hurry to find his release as he traded a rosy nipple in favor of stroking her throbbing nub. With his long fingers, he massaged her clit gently at first, then increased the pressure, pressing firm, then with a single flick, a million stars instantly exploded behind her eyelids.

And yet, he continued his assault on her body and senses, leaning over to graze his teeth over the hard nub of one nipple. Her body tightened around his cock and he knew she was close, ready to go over again.

Without thinking or asking permission, because he was incapable of it, he slid one hand under her coating his finger with her juices. When she didn't seem to object to his direction, he circled her tight hole. He felt her inner muscles clench with the upcoming orgasm and made his move, sliding a finger in her tight entrance.

Blinding white light exploded through her and she screamed with the intensity of the orgasm that overtook her.

When she came back to consciousness, he was cradling her in his arms smoothing the hair from her face. She took in the tender look and then burrowed into his chest with embarrassment.

"Baby, look at me." When she reluctantly faced him, he continued, "That was nothing to be embarrassed about, it was beautiful the way you embraced the pleasure that I wanted to give you. Between a man and wife, there's nothing wrong with taking and giving pleasure, or experimenting with more carnal desires. But, if you didn't like it or you're not comfortable with anything that I do, then tell me and I won't do it or try to pressure you into it again, okay?"

The sincerity of his words made her think hard about how she really felt. It was hard to explain to him her reluctance to venture into eroticism, but she knew she had to try and explain it to him as best she could. "Ranger, I know there's nothing wrong with it and you should never doubt that you've given me pleasure. It's just that…when I was married to the Dick, he made it all feel so dirty and then on top of that, there's my Catholic upbringing that comes into play. I know I 'm rambling, but I don't want you to feel like you can't try new things with me and ask me for something that might pleasure you."

He squeezed her tight, knowing that it had been difficult for her to discuss such intimate matters, but they'd always been honest with each other. It was one of the many things he loved so much about her. Her willingness to let him try 'new' tricks with her touched him on a more primal level as well.

She felt him hardening against her leg and looked at him astonished. "Good grief, you're insatiable this morning."

He laughed lightly, "Always for you, but I'm afraid if we don't get up and get ready, we'll never make it to Trenton today. As much as I'd like to stay here a few more days, I'm afraid that isn't possible. I have a meeting in the morning that Tank's been putting off since we've been gone."

They got dressed, packed and were in the lobby checking out when a twinge of sadness crept over her at the quick end to their honeymoon.

On the way to the truck, Ranger wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. "Babe, this wasn't our honeymoon; it was our wedding night. I have several accounts that I have to take care of and some business at my other branches that can't be put off. When that's all taken care of, we're going to have a real honeymoon. Sadly, it will have to be put off until after Christmas. I know that's six months off, but I also thought that around January, you'd be ready to go someplace warm. I know how much you enjoy the beach and had planned to spend the entire month of January lounging about with my wife in a tropical setting."

She knew how busy Ranger was and understood that he had to take care of his business. His plans actually made a lot of sense and she couldn't wait to spend an entire month with just him and the beach. "That sounds perfect, it'll be something to look forward to. I understand completely that you have to take care of your company. Thanks for always knowing what I need."

"It's what I need too. The next few months are going to difficult, with us learning to adjust to each other's life. We both have work to do and we'll need to spend time with our families. By the time January rolls around, I figure we'll both be ready to ditch the whole lot and run away again." He kissed her and buckled her into the truck, before walking around to his side.

She smiled, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, happy to go home with her husband.

* * *

The trip was long and tedious and Ranger refused to let her drive. His explanation was that she had driven him the entire way to the cabin without stopping for the night or resting, so he figured it was his turn. She had a sneaking suspicion that he just enjoyed being back in control again. Really, it didn't bother her too much, since she was so tired from the incredible orgasms she'd had this morning.

Stephanie had been dozing, when she felt the truck ease to a stop. She blinked her eyes open to find that Ranger had pulled into a secluded area off the side of the road. The truck was completely hidden in a wooded area. She assumed that he just wanted to get out and stretch his legs, so she hopped out to do the same. She opened the back door of the truck and started to rummage around in her bag for something to snack on.

She was totally shocked when Ranger came in from behind her, rubbing against her ass and reaching around to fondle her breasts. He was hard as a rock as he ground into her from behind.

"Babe, the sounds you make in your sleep drive me crazy enough, but when you started to fondle me, I couldn't take it anymore." He expertly unsnapped and unzipped her jeans and had his hand down the front before she could even blink an eye.

Her knees buckled when he squeezed her clit with the v between two fingers and then slid them into the gush of wetness that the sensation had caused. He ran his other hand under her t-shirt and stroked her nipple through her bra. His mouth found her neck and she leaned her head to the side to give him better access to the skin that yearned to be caressed with those soft lips.

He traveled up her delicate neck, sampling the delicious skin as he traveled to her ear. He traced the shell of her ear and then blew in her ear. Her response was to shiver from the feel and then moan with release. "Oh, God, Steph…you drive me fucking mad. If I'm not buried deep inside you in the next two seconds, I'll go insane."

They simultaneously, started to claw at their clothes until both had their pants around their ankles and he was thrusting inside her.

She was so turned on that all she could manage through the lust filled haze was to moan with the pleasure of him filling her completely. Ranger on the other hand didn't seem to have that trouble. Undoubtedly, their venture into voyeurism was a complete turn on for him because he normally only murmured to her in Spanish during sex. Not the case, this time. He was talking _'a lot'_ and not just talking, but talking dirty. She was so lost in her own lust that she only caught snippets, but what she heard made her even hotter. His 'Fuck, yeah' and 'You're so hot, I just want to fuck you senseless' managed to break the through the fog of her brain causing her to spasm through an orgasm that lasted so long that it turned into another.

After her multiple orgasms, she melted against the backseat of the truck and rode out Ranger's final thrusts. He collapsed on top of her and they both sighed deeply before chuckling at the sight they must make with their asses swinging in the breeze and their pants twisted around their ankles.

Ranger reached under the seat and pulled out a roll of paper towels, unrolling a few. She whimpered at the loss of contact as he pulled himself out of her warm heat. Her knees wouldn't support her weight yet, so she just laid there trying to catch her breath. When he cleaned her up and helped her to adjust her pants, it occurred to her how intimate his actions were. She tried hard to conjure up some embarrassment, but couldn't find it within her to protest because his actions were so sweet and tender.

Stephanie turned into his warm embrace and they stood in the seclude alcove and held each other, enjoying the respite from traveling.

"Oh, God, Ranger, if we keep this up, we're going to kill each other." She smiled at his low laugh.

He nuzzled his face into her hair and said quietly. "Yeah, but what a way to go. I, for one, can't seem to get enough of you."

She laughed at how his thoughts mirrored her own. "You know, before we got together, I always thought you were a Cuban Sex God. Now, I _know_ you are. Jesus, I could go again, but I know we have to get back on the road."

He rested his chin on top of her head for a few minutes before helping her back in the truck. As he made his way to the driver's side, he saw her reaching for her pillow and settling herself into her sleeping position. He smiled at how comfortable they had become in such a short time. Pulling back onto the highway, he set the cruise for eighty and settled into his zone. He couldn't wait to get home and share the news of the marriage with his real family, the men who worked with and for him.

* * *

He gently rubbed her shoulders and then smoothed back the hair from her face. "Babe, wake up, we're home." He chuckled when she burrowed in closer to his thigh. "C'mon, Babe, don't you want to go tell everyone that we're married?" That got her attention because she was instantly alert and sitting up to adjust her clothes.

When Ranger came around to her side, he took her left hand, joining their fingers and bringing them to his lips for a soft kiss. "Babe, the day shift will already be gone. Do you want to wait till the morning when Lester, Bobby, Hector, and Hal will be here to tell everyone?"

She was immediately disappointed, but he was right. She didn't want the core team to find out by word of mouth. "Yeah, but can we tell Ella?"

"Sure, Babe. I'll call her and ask her to bring us a late dinner and we'll tell her when she arrives with our food." He took out his phone and left a message for Ella to bring dinner for two to seven and then joined Stephanie in the elevator.

She tried to give him a raised eyebrow when he pulled her into his embrace for the elevator ride. Them showing affection in public was something that both they and Rangemen would have to get used to. He wanted to let everyone know where his heart belonged. She was his woman and he didn't intend for anyone to doubt their feelings for each other, especially a certain cop. Even though she had assured him that Morelli understood that their relationship was over, he couldn't believe that he would give up so easily. He knew he wouldn't have.

They weren't in the apartment five minutes when there was a knock at the door. It was Ella with their meal. "Ranger, Stephanie, it's so good to have the two of you back. I put away Stephanie's clothes and other things. I hope that everything meets your approval, dear."

Stephanie approached Ella and gave her a warm smile. "Everything is great and we have some news to share with you, but you have to keep it a secret, at least until tomorrow."

Ranger grinned at Ella's knowing look as she searched their hands for proof of her suspicions. "Oh, dear, I am so happy for the two of you. Stephanie it will be such a delight to finally have somebody that appreciates real cooking." She gave Ranger a quelling look at him clearing his throat.

Stephanie laughed at their interaction. "I may have to ask you to adopt me when my Mom finds out that I've eloped." They all shared a laugh and Ella made her way to the door.

"Stephanie, I take care of all these men and it will be a privilege to take care of you too. If there's anything you need, all you have to do is give me a call. Now, you two get some rest. Tomorrow will be a big day with your announcement."

Ranger and Stephanie sat down at the bar to eat the delicious food that Ella had brought them. They spent a little time separating out their dirty clothes and hanging up the clean ones, before both decided that they needed to shower and go to bed. It had been a long day and they were both tired.

After their separate showers, they settled down into bed. Stephanie thought that Ranger would want to have sex, especially since she could feel his hard length pressing against her bottom. However, he just pulled her close and buried his face into her neck, breathing deeply of her scent.

"Go to sleep, querida. I know you're tired and Ella's right, tomorrow will be a long day. We have to tell both your parents and mine that we ran off to elope, since that's the cover story we're using for our two week absence. That alone will be enough to test the patience of a Saint."

She yawned mid-laugh and nodded her head in agreement. "Night, Ranger. I love you."

"I love you too, Babe. G'night." He heard her breathing even out and allowed himself to drift to sleep with a content smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Go to sleep, querida. I know you're tired and Ella's right, tomorrow will be a long day. We have to tell both you're parents and mine and that alone will be enough to test a saint."_

_She yawned mid-laugh and knew he was right. "Night, Ranger. I love you."_

"_I love you too, Babe. G'night." He heard her breathing even out and allowed himself to drift to sleep with a content smile on his face._

Chapter 3

"Mixed Reviews"

At first he thought it was his internal clock that woke him. Then he thought that it was his Babe fondling him in her sleep that had woken him up. His next thought was, '_What the Hell_?', when her mouth closed over his cock and her hand came up to fondle his balls.

She heard his sharp intake of breath and knew she had finally succeeded in waking him. It wasn't like him to sleep through her moving about in bed, much less while she went to the bathroom and kissed her way down his body. This morning he had done just that. She'd decided to take things to the next level and see just how much he would sleep through.

She brushed her lips over the twitching head of his hard member and then descended to suck as much of him as she could into her warm mouth. After only a few more strokes, he pulled out of her mouth, flipped her on her back and thrust hard and deep between her legs.

He knew he should have reciprocated with his own foreplay, but she had him in such a state that he had to be buried deep inside her. Besides, her little adventure with him this morning already had her wet and ready. He leaned down to kiss her slow and deep, whispering against her mouth, "Babe". He pushed her knees upward towards her chest, to increase his penetration and pumped in and out at a leisurely rate. He felt her shudder with her first orgasm and it fueled his desire. He sped up his movements inside her as she panted and moaned his name over and over.

When he reached between them and pressed her clit, she went over the top with him only two strokes behind. He collapsed on top of her and buried his head into the curve of her neck.

"Mmmm…that's my favorite way to wake up." He turned his head toward the clock, smirked and then propped up on his elbows. "You didn't think that would distract me from our morning run, did you?"

She laughed, "The thought never crossed my mind,…but did it work?"

He kissed her below the ear, before answering, "No, besides you can come back up here and take a nap, while I get ready to meet a client. You don't have any skips, so you can get ready during my meeting this morning. Then I'm all yours for the day. We'll make the rounds spreading the news of our marriage."

He laughed when she rolled her eyes and then whimpered when he pulled out of her. "C'mon, Babe, let's get dressed. We can go down and tell the guys before our run. If you're really good, I'll have Ella make blueberry pancakes for you for breakfast."

She groaned but rolled out of bed, knowing that it was senseless to argue with him. "Hmmf, I thought I'd already been really good. See if I wake you with morning fellatio again."

He just laughed at her comment, "Babe, I was talking about not complaining about running not the morning fellatio. That….was _very _much appreciated." When the smile returned to her face, he went to the bathroom to take care of Mother Nature's call. When he finished, she went in to do the same.

As she was pressing the end of the toothpaste tube up from the bottom, he came in and mashed the tube in the middle, causing a glob of paste to drop onto her toothbrush. "Babe, none of that stuff bothers me. If you leave your panties on the floor, stockings hanging from the shower, or mash the toothpaste from the middle, it's not going to cause marital discord."

She hadn't realized that she was even doing it. She looked down at the toothpaste, then back at him and smiled tenderly, asking, "So, what will, as you say, cause marital discord?"

When she started the circular motion of the brush on her teeth, he answered truthfully, "Leaving home without your gun or taking unnecessary chances. What about you? What's something that I might do to cause your displeasure?"

She thought about it while she finished brushing her teeth, put her toothbrush beside his in the holder and wiped her mouth then her hands on the small towel. She decided that since he was being so open and honest, she owed it to him to do the same. "Not discussing things with me that involve me or not letting me know when I do something that bothers you. Leaving the toilet seat up or your shoes by the couch are not really issues for me either."

He pulled on her ponytail, "Good to know, now let's go downstairs."

She felt giddy as a school girl as they made their way to the fifth floor, relaxing into his arms in their usual position, her back to his chest. When the elevator door opened and they walked out, all motion ceased. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop as all heads turned towards them.

As the men gathered around, Ranger cleared his throat, "Men, I wanted to thank you all for your hard work during my absence. Tank has updated me and I know that you all did whatever it took to help in finding Sullivan along with your regular duties. Stephanie and I also wanted you guys to be the first to know that on our way home from Tennessee, we got married."

There were a lot of astonished four letter words before the crushing hugs began. Ranger was grinning from ear to ear as Stephanie was passed from one man then to the next while he received manly slaps on the back. Of course, Lester had to have his say. "Beautiful, I thought after you jumped me in the woods that we had something going."

Ranger watched as his bride turned three shades of red at Lester's comment and the good natured laughing of his men. He growled, "Mine," as he pulled her into the curve of his hip.

* * *

"Oh, my God, Ella is a goddess." She moaned again as she stuffed the last bite of fluffy blueberry pancakes into her mouth.

Ranger couldn't resist, he leaned over and licked her lips clean of syrup. "Yum." He pushed back from the table and put on his jacket. He was dressed in what Stephanie called 'Armani Ranger'. "Babe, I'll be about an hour and a half in my meeting and then I'll be ready to go, okay?"

As she was making her way towards the bedroom, she replied in a singsong voice, "'Kay, have a good meeting sweetie."

"My wife, the smartass," he grumbled under his breath and tried to wipe the smile off his face as he walked out the door. If he didn't get control of this goofy smile, he was going to lose his badass image.

As soon as Ranger was out of the door, Stephanie began hot footing about the apartment, stripping sheets and picking up clothes. No matter what Ella said about taking care of them, she couldn't allow her to think she was a slob or to see the soaked sheets. When she heard the door opening and Ella's usual greeting of 'Hello, Dear', she had just stuffed the last of the clothes into the hamper.

She went to the kitchen with the sheets in her arms and laid them by the door. Taking Ella by the hand, she led her to the couch. She smiled kindly at the puzzled expression on the sweet woman's face. "Ella, I know that the house-keeping duties are yours, but I thought that we could talk privately about some things. I'm not entirely comfortable with you changing and washing the sheets to our bed, so from now on, Ranger or I will take care of that chore."

Ella frowned, "But, it's my job, Stephanie, and it's not like I haven't been married for the past thirty years. I know a little about what goes on in the bedroom."

Stephanie knew from the burning of her cheeks that she was blistering red, but she plowed through firmly. "I know, but on those sheets are the evidence of mine and my husband's sex life and it's something that I feel is private. I've already talked to Ranger about this and even though it doesn't seem to bother him, he's agreed to abide by my wishes. Besides, you're already going to have added laundry and cooking with me living here, this is just one less thing that you have to worry about."

Even through the evidence of Stephanie's embarrassment, Ella could see the determination in her eyes. She smiled and thought, _God Bless this modest woman for coming into Ranger's life_. She patted Stephanie's hand. "I understand, dear. I'll show you where the laundry is and you can take care of it in your own way. I have to say though how much I'm going to enjoy having you here. You've made Ranger happy and for that, I thank you. Now, if you'll put the sheets into the washing machine and fresh ones on the bed, I'll take care of the rest."

Stephanie was relieved to have that conversation over with. Talking about her sex life with the matronly woman was not high on her list of favorite things to do. After taking care of the sheets, she went about getting ready for the day while Ella bustled around the living room, dusting and vacuuming.

She heard Ella's goodbye just as she was rummaging through the closet for something to wear. When she came out with an unfamiliar white sundress, complete with tags, she was puzzled. She didn't remember buying it, so she called Ella. "Ella, where did the white sundress come from?"

She laughed before responding, "Ranger asked me to do some shopping for you. At the time, I didn't know that the two of you had gotten married. I suppose he knew you wouldn't have time to go shopping and didn't want you worrying about what you were going to wear to meet his family. Before you say anything, I enjoyed it immensely and all the dresses were on sale. I left the receipt for you on the bar in the kitchen if anything needs to be returned or you don't like them."

She immediately walked back to the closet, "Dresses? As in plural?" She found them as Ella explained that she wasn't sure what Stephanie would like so she got several and for different occasions. The woman really had great taste. There were three more in the closet, another sundress, one that was dressy enough for dinner at a nice restaurant and another that was a bit more formal. Each of them fit to perfection and suited her style to a tee.

She decided to wear the white one since it was getting close to Labor Day and would soon be out of season. Just as she slipped on her sandals, she heard Ranger coming into the apartment. As he came through the door, he smiled appreciatively and kissed her on the lips before going to the closet to change out of his suit.

She gawked as he came back out wearing khaki's and a navy polo shirt. Then she grinned, "Did Ella go shopping for you too?"

As he slid his belt through the belt loops, he answered, "Yeah, didn't want your Dad to think that all I wear is black. I figured we're going to have enough feedback from your mother and mine, that maybe I could garner his support with my wardrobe. We're also taking an 'American made' truck."

Even though his little speech was casual, it occurred to her that Ranger was a bit out of his element. She knelt in front of where he was putting on his shoes and gently took his hands in hers, holding his gaze steady. "Just you and me, Babe, that's all that really matters."

When he heard her repeat his words from the day of their wedding, he released the tension he hadn't known he'd been harboring. He leaned down and took her lips in a hungry kiss. He pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against hers. "Thanks, I needed that."

* * *

They both sat outside the house where she had grown up, eyeing the two women waiting at the front door. Without looking at him, she asked, "Is it too late to pretend that we got lost?" He squeezed her hand and got out of the truck.

Never one to shirk a responsibility, he opened her door and said, "C'mon, Babe, let's do this."

When she was standing on the sidewalk, Ranger threaded his left hand with hers and walked beside her to the front door. It was a symbol of unity and helped to relax her jittery nerves.

"Mom, Grandma, you remember Ranger."

Stephanie nearly forgot her nerves when her grandmother waggled her eyebrows at Ranger.

"Stephanie, I just fixed some sandwiches, will you and Ranger stay for lunch?"

She looked around to see her father already seated at the table. "Sure, but Ranger and I have some news for you first." Her mother was already fixing two more sandwiches and she thought it would be best to just get it over with, like ripping off a band-aid. "Mom, Dad, Grandma,…um…Ranger and I got married while we were out of town."

Neither Ranger nor Stephanie was fast enough to catch her mother before she hit the floor in a dead faint. Her dad stood, shook Ranger's hand and then went over to help Stephanie revive her mother.

All the while, her grandmother was prancing around, shouting gleefully, "Hot damn, Stephanie married the 'package'." Then she rattled off, "OMG, ttfn, got to tell my bff, Marge," and she sprinted out the door.

Stephanie gave her dad a strange look; he just shrugged, and said, "She's been texting with the women from the Clip-n-Curl."

When her mother finally came around from her fainting spell, she looked with confusion marring her face at Stephanie, "I thought…did you say…" and then finally gave up, throwing her hands up in the air. The rest of lunch was eaten in silence. Even when they were finished, her mother hadn't regained the ability to speak. For a change, her dad walked them to the door.

He pulled her in for a hug and told her, "I'm happy for you, Pumpkin." He shook Ranger's hand again and told him to take care of his daughter.

They both sat in the truck dazed and when they looked at each other after a minute they burst into laughter.

With tears streaming down her face, she choked out, "Ranger, if I'd have known that our marriage would render my mother speechless, I'd have proposed to _you_ years ago."

He threw his head back and laughed some more. "Babe, you never disappoint and your family is still a bit scary." He shook his head, then asked, "You ready to go face the girls?"

She nodded and turned to stare out the window at her parent's house as he pulled onto the street. She hoped that her mother's inability to speak remained a permanent affliction. She was still deep in thought when she looked up to realize they were sitting in front of the bonds office. _Oh, Shit._ Connie and Lula were both staring out the window.

Ranger got out, walked around the truck and opened her door. She took another deep breath and got out to join hands with him in their pose of unity that had been the theme for the day. She could hear the squealing before Ranger even got the door to the bonds office open.

"Shyat! White girl, I knew you had it in you! Batman, it's about time you got your head on straight and asked my girl to marry you." Lula was ever colorful in hot pink spandex from head to toe. Lula gripped Stephanie in a hug so tight that she thought she might lose consciousness. Stephanie stumbled back when Lula released her suddenly. Ranger was taking in the whole exchange with a huge smile on his face. "Jeez, Batman, you ought not do that to a girl. My girl here may be used to you smiling like that, but the rest of us mortals need a little warning. Shit, my heart can't take much of that business."

When Ranger let loose a full blown, deep belly laugh, Stephanie thought that Connie was going to pass out. She recovered enough to ask to see Stephanie's ring. "Oh, Steph, it's beautiful. And to think, I'm responsible for all of this." Stephanie thought Connie was going to cry, she was so proud.

* * *

Once they were back in the truck, preparing to go to Newark, Ranger received a call. It was Tank telling him that he was needed back at Rangeman. She could tell he wasn't happy and asked why. "Babe, today was supposed to be our day. On top of that, it's going to make us arrive later than I wanted. Now, all my family will be gathered together for Friday night dinner by the time we get there. I didn't want your first time meeting my mom to include the entire family."

Stephanie gulped, then whispered, "The entire family?" At his nod, she closed her eyes, chanting _you can do this, you can do this_, over and over in her head. When she looked back at Ranger, she felt stronger from her little internal pep talk. "It's okay, Ranger. We can do this."

It took two hours for Ranger to sort out the problem with the account. Stephanie had used the time wisely by taking a nap. Their delay was going to cause them to arrive right at dinner time. _Oh, joy_. Fortunately, Ranger's mom didn't have 'Burg' radar, so nobody was waiting for them at the front door. He had called this morning to inform his mother that he was bringing Stephanie when he came to visit.

Ranger let them into the foyer and called out to his mom. Stephanie could see through the back patio doors, that there was quite a crowd milling about outside. As he led her towards the glass door, several heads turned to gawk. She saw a petite woman make her way towards Ranger and assumed that this was his mother.

****Please, assume that the words in italics are spoken in Spanish – It's too much of a headache to translate that much.****

"_Ric, I'm so glad that you've made it!" _She kissed Ranger on the cheek, before leaning in to wrap him in an embrace. He pulled back and spoke to her in English.

"Mom,….everyone, this is Stephanie, my wife. Babe, this is my Mom, Maria"

At the gasps and strings of Spanish that resulted from his abrupt announcement, all Stephanie could think was '_great going Manoso'_, talk about ripping off a band-aid. She could tell by the tone of Maria's voice that she wasn't pleased. You didn't need to be able to speak Spanish to determine her displeasure.

Ranger held up a hand, "Mom, Stephanie doesn't speak Spanish. Please, speak English in front of her."

Maria nearly snarled the words that came out of her mouth, "Fine. But first, I'd like to speak with you in private."

Stephanie patted his arm, signaling that it was alright. She thought that some things needed to be discussed in private between them. He kissed her on the cheek before following his Mom to what she supposed was the kitchen. _Isn't that where all major discussion were held_. Stephanie watched as Ranger left, then turned to find about twenty dark faces boring holes through her.

A beautiful female version of Ranger stepped forward, extending her hand in a friendly greeting. "I'm Celia. Welcome to the chaos known as the 'Manoso Clan'."

Stephanie managed to squeak out a polite, "Thanks. Ranger has told me a little about you. Do you think that he's going to be okay?"

Celia waved it away, "Ric can handle Mama just fine. He's talked to me about you too, and I'm glad that he finally figured it all out."

Another Ranger replica walked forward but didn't offer her hand or her official 'welcome'. "Is that what you always refer to my brother as? Ranger? Why don't you use his given name?" Her tone left no doubt that she found the title distasteful.

Stephanie was guessing that this was Isabel and shrugged her shoulders, refusing to give Ranger's sister the satisfaction of being intimidated. "It's what he introduced himself to me as and it's what I've always called him. Besides, he doesn't call me Stephanie usually, unless he's very serious."

Celia laughed out loud, pleased with Stephanie's spunk. "So, what do you call my brother when you're serious?"

Before Stephanie could answer, Ranger was beside her, "Words too vile to repeat, little sister." Stephanie tried to elbow him in the gut, but he was swifter than she was and expertly dodged her blow. He entwined their hands and brought their joined fingers to his lips.

Celia and Isabel both eyed the exchange with mixed reviews. Celia was delighted and Isabel…well….not so much. "Brother, it's a good thing you saw her first, otherwise, I'd have given you a run for your money. She's a keeper."

When Stephanie's head snapped around to look at Celia, it was the first time that she really noticed the appreciative look. Her cheeks bloomed bright red.

Celia breathed out her next words, "Oh, my, and if she wasn't beautiful enough. That shade is lovely on her surprised face. I can see that you have respected my privacy. Thanks, Brother, but there's no need to protect me. I'm proud to be a lesbian." She had said the last part loud enough for the entire crowd to hear and Stephanie realized that Celia had done it on purpose. She was trying to get their family to focus on something other than Stephanie.

Ranger and Stephanie made the rounds through the family, introducing her to everyone. Manuel was just as obnoxious as Isabel. His wife, Rosa, was holding their two year old boy trying to calm him, as he cried and tried to pull away from her. She was polite enough when she explained that he was upset because he couldn't swim with the older kids.

Stephanie squeezed Ranger's hand to get his attention, "Ranger, I need to use the restroom." When he started towards the door to show her the way, she shook her head. "I think I can find it on my own. You should stay here and talk to your brother. He's been biting at the bit to get you alone."

When she was finished in the bathroom, she went to tackle the real reason she left Ranger's side. She knew that Maria was still in the kitchen, fuming. Stephanie found her and chose to ignore the glare that she gave her when she walked into the room. "Mrs. Manoso, I know that this is all a bit of a shock to you, but I just wanted you to know that I love your son. He's more than just my husband. From the first day we met, he's been my friend, mentor and protector. I hope that one day you and I can become friends. If not, at least you can know that your son is very much loved." Stephanie turned to leave, but stopped short when Maria spoke softly.

"I can see the love that you share. I'm not blind. It's just hard. I hope you can understand and give me time. In the future, please, call me Maria."

Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped back out onto the patio. She saw Manuel still had Ranger cornered and avoided their area. She scanned the backyard, noticing that the older children had tired of the pool and were now engaged in a game of kickball. As her eyes perused the gathering, she landed on a sight that sent her heart racing.

Ranger looked up just in time to see Stephanie sprinting toward the pool. His heart stopped dead when he saw what had her in a panic. He pushed Manuel out of the way and started towards her at a dead run. He watched as his wife dove into the pool, pulling out the sputtering child. He leaned down to take the screaming toddler from her arms. He handed Lucas to a crying Rosa and took Stephanie's hand to pull her from the pool.

Stephanie's clothes were plastered to her body and she was shivering from the adrenaline rush. Somebody wrapped a towel around her as Ranger pulled her into his arms. Later, she would think how funny it was that you could go from zero to hero in five seconds flat. The rest of the afternoon had an entirely different tone. Ranger's family could no longer harbor hard feelings towards the woman who had saved their little Lucas and captured all of their hearts in the process.


	4. Chapter 4

*****I don't own any of the characters and am not making any money off of them. Angie, Babe, thanks!!! I know we both have busy lives, but you always seem to have time to edit my stories. You're the greatest! With this chapter, I was just typing away and realized that it needed to be divided…so….chapter 5 is not far behind because it's almost written!!! Hope you enjoy! For those of you who have been reading and reviewing, thanks!**

Chapter 4

"Joe"

Stephanie dreaded Monday mornings most weeks, but this one was even worse. This would be the first time in over two weeks that she and Ranger would be separated for any amount of time. As the edges of sleep faded, she was feeling a bit sad about not being able to spend massive amounts of time with her husband.

Ranger had turned onto his side, facing her, watching as she struggled with the concept of waking up. He hated to admit it, but he was going to miss her today. He knew it was silly to feel sad about going back to a regular schedule, but he'd gotten used to spending large quantities of time with her and didn't want to give it up.

When she finally blinked open her eyes, they just lay there staring into each other's eyes. It seemed strange that in such a short time, they'd become so in tuned to each other. Neither of them moved for several minutes and then simultaneously, they reached for each other.

Ranger ran his hand over her face, toyed with her curls and then kissed her softly. "I feel like a two year old with separation anxiety."

She laughed, ran her hand through his silky hair one more time, before replying "C'mon, we both know you'll be kicking yourself later if you don't run. We might as well get back into a routine. We can't stay holed up alone for the rest of our lives; we'll drive each other insane."

* * *

She stumbled into the apartment, hot, sweaty and grouchy. Ranger just smiled, ruffled her hair and pulled her into the bathroom. When he stripped both of their clothes, she immediately forgot that she was grumpy.

He knew she hated to run, but he knew how to make her forget her crankiness. He pulled her into the shower and against his body, positioning them so that the water ran over and between both their bodies. He cupped a breast in each hand and rested his chin on her shoulder and just held her against him. When he felt her relax into his body, he brushed his thumbs back and forth across her nipples.

When one of his hands moved to cup her womanhood, she moaned in delight. She reached behind her and slid a hand between their bodies to stroke him. He growled in her ear and then spun her around, pinning her against the shower wall.

As he thrust inside her heat, he whispered her name, reverently. In and out he pounded into her as she screamed his name over and over. The power of their orgasms ripped through them and they ended up on the floor spent and gasping for breath.

She grinned lazily up at him. "Now, that was my idea of a morning workout."

He threw back his head and laughed. "Babe, you can work out like that with me anytime."

When she had finished with her make-up and hair routine, she walked into the bedroom to find Ranger already putting fresh sheets on the bed. She had a moment of warm appreciation at the sight of a domesticated Ranger. In passing, she kissed him on the shoulder and went into the closet to get dressed for the day.

She had decided to continue working for Vinnie in the mornings and then would spend her afternoons working for Rangeman. She liked the freedom that this arrangement would allow her. Now that she had the bounty money from capturing Sullivan, working wasn't about money anymore. They had yet to work out the details of combined finances, but she felt better about the money situation since she wasn't coming into the relationship broke and hard up.

They were sitting at the table eating breakfast when she decided to broach the dreaded topic. Money. She hated to talk about money. "Ranger, I want you to help me invest my reward money for helping to capture Sullivan." She could see the delight in his eyes, but she held up her hand. "But, I don't want you to just invest it; I want you to teach me what to do, so that I can do it myself. I've never had much of my own and I don't want to start our marriage with this is mine and that's yours, but I still need to feel like I'm a contributing member to our finances."

His heart swelled at how far she'd come in the past two years. He didn't want her to feel like she was a kept woman, but he also wanted her to share in the money he'd worked hard to earn. "Babe, I'll be glad to teach you how to invest your money. I agree that we each need to have our own identity, interests and money. However, I want us to be a team in every way. That means what's mine is yours and vice versa." He took his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out two cards, sliding them across the table to her.

She stared at them in amazement. The first was a bank card and the second was a credit card; both had her name stamped on the bottom. She frowned, looking at them. They had only been married for a few days. No way, he'd had time to add her to his accounts. "When did you do this?" He didn't answer her right away and she could tell that he didn't really want to share this information with her.

Finally, he started talking, "It really happened over a period of time. When you stayed in my apartment during the Slayer incident, I added you to my credit card accounts; because I thought you might need to purchase something that you couldn't go back to your apartment for. Then when you helped me with finding Julie, I added you as dual beneficiary to my Will with Julie. I did that because I realized you were the single most important person in my life. When you stayed with me, while you helped me find the kids that were breaking into my accounts, I added you to my checking and savings accounts. By that time, I knew that I couldn't live without you and planned to pursue you whether you were still with Morelli or not."

She was silently crying by the time he finished telling her how he'd been slowly incorporating her into his life, while she had been oscillating between him and Joe.

"Babe, I didn't tell you this to make you cry. I've wanted you in my life for quite some time now and knew that when the time was right, we'd make a go of it." He wiped her tears away and kissed each eyelid.

It humbled her greatly to know that he'd been so sure of her when she'd been fumbling around in the dark. She thought about all the things he'd said to her over the years and it was like a light switch being flipped on. He'd told her in numerous ways that he loved her and wanted her in her life. "Ranger, I'm sorry for not seeing it sooner. I guess I just never took the time to read between the lines."

He smiled kindly at her, "You've nothing to be sorry about. I led you to believe that I didn't want a relationship. What I really needed was to know that when you came to me, it was because you wanted to be with me and only me. I also needed to be sure that there were no residual feelings left for Joe. Personally, I think it worked out for the best. We became friends through it all and I think that the friendship part of our relationship will keep our marriage strong and healthy."

She couldn't agree more and told him so. "It's funny that you should say that, because when I think of our relationship, I always think of you as my friend first. You're my hero, mentor, lover and now my husband, but first and foremost you're my best friend."

He cradled her head between his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. "I'd never had a best friend until I met you." He picked up a napkin, wiped her nose, causing them both to laugh at the gesture.

After making out a bit, they both pulled away, deciding they'd never make it out of the apartment if they didn't stop.

As he walked her to the garage, he handed the keys to the truck to her. "Babe, I want you to drive the truck when you're going after skips. It has several features that will make the job easier. Hector will walk you through them this afternoon. I'd have him do it now, but he's at one of my accounts, working on a glitch in the security system."

The urge to resist was strong, but after their talk upstairs, she couldn't find it in her heart to argue with him. "Thanks, but don't get mad if I destroy it. You know my luck with vehicles."

He kissed her and helped her into the truck, "Don't care. I want my wife safe. Besides, I've wanted to buy a new truck for a while. If you destroy this one, it'll be the perfect excuse."

She was pretty sure he was joking, but you never knew with Ranger. She thought he'd close the door then, but when she looked up, she could tell there was more he wanted to say. Stephanie leaned her head to the side and raised both eyebrows, since she knew it was futile to try just one.

"Babe….the cards…do you want me to order new ones? You know….with Stephanie Manoso on them?"

The indecision on his face was rare and precious. She smiled widely, "Of course, that's my name now."

He knew that the relief showed in his smile, but he didn't care. He'd wanted her to use his name, but wasn't sure how she felt about it. It meant a great deal to him that she share in everything he had, especially his name. He kissed her again whispering his thanks and then reluctantly closed the truck door.

* * *

She walked into the bonds office and was immediately bombarded with a million questions about her marriage to Ranger. She held up a hand, "First and foremost, I will not under any circumstances talk about my sex life with Ranger, that's personal. Second, I'll only be picking up skips in the morning's from now on. I'll be working for Ranger in the afternoons. Connie, you might want to tell Vinnie that he needs another bond agent. And lastly, can I please have my files so I can get to work?"

The both stood there shocked at how firm she stood on the subject. Connie's smiled beamed at her as she handed over two files. She took them and headed out to retrieve the two low bonds that Connie had given her.

The defense lessons that Ranger had given her sure paid off. She almost wanted to pat herself on the back and would have if it wasn't for the stickiness of her shirt. They were having a heat wave from the last leg of summer and her shirt was plastered to her body. She couldn't wait to get inside the bonds office and the air conditioning.

She waved her two receipts in front of Connie's face, saying, "Ta da."

"Wow that was fast. What'd you do while you were off eloping? Did Batman teach you some new tricks?" Lula fanned herself at Connie's word, obviously her mind wandered to a different kind of tricks.

"We worked on some self-defense maneuvers, plus, I've been running. It helps if you can outrun your skips." Connie nodded in agreement and then handed her two more files with her check.

"These came in while you were out." Connie pulled out her nail file and began working on her manicure.

"Lula, you want to get some lunch?" She knew Lula never turned down food.

"You betcha!" She immediately began rounding up her purse, obviously in a hurry.

Stephanie figured Lula wanted to get out of filing or try to browbeat her into talking about her and Ranger's intimate relationship. She was going with the latter.

As they walked out of the bonds office, Lula was chattering nonstop about her being married to Ranger while Stephanie was flipping through her folder of FTA's, so she didn't see him coming. Before she could react, Joe had her arm in a vise grip and was steering her towards the alley.

"Cupcake, I think we need to talk." His words were ground out between clenched teeth.

When it dawned on her that he was pulling her towards the alley, the one that she and Ranger had been in so many times to secretly grope and kiss each other, she planted her feet, trying to stop the forward momentum. She could tell that he was angry and there was no way that she was going into 'that' alley with him. "Joe, how about we sit in the truck and talk for a minute. I can see that you have something on your mind and I'll be glad to listen, but not out here where everyone can listen."

He instantly released her arm, spun around and stomped towards the truck. She looked at Lula and shrugged her shoulders, waving her off before getting into the truck. "What's up Joe?"

"What the hell, Stephanie? We're broken up for a little over a month and you run off and elope with Manoso. And here I was thinking that we broke up because you didn't want to get married."

The anger was rolling off of him. She wasn't scared of him; she knew he would never hurt her, but she honestly didn't want to be in the truck with him when he was so angry either. "Joe, I'm baffled at your response. We broke up! We didn't break up just because I didn't want to get married. We broke up because you wanted to change me and I don't want to change. I'm really sorry if my marriage to Ranger has hurt you."

"Aargh…hurt, Hell, I'm pissed. I thought, you know, that we'd both cool off for a while and then go back to normal." He grabbed her left wrist and stared at the rings on her finger, the muscle ticking in his jaw.

"Joe, I'm happy and I love him. You'll always have a place in my heart and I hope that one day we can be friends, but I think that you need to get out of the truck." Her heart was pounding and her head felt like it was going to explode, just then her door was wrenched open and she looked up into the cold, angry eyes of her husband.

Ranger gave a menacing look at Joe, "Morelli,…. Babe" and then his lips crashed onto hers in a bruising kiss. There was no mistaking the message that Ranger was sending to Joe. He was staking his claim. Sometime during their hard, hungry kiss, Ranger gently took Stephanie's arm from Joe's grasp and she heard the door slam. When he pulled back, they were both panting heavily and Ranger's eyes were still blazing with fury.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Um…I'm guessing this is one of those things that has the potential for causing marital discord?"

His eyes strayed to her swollen lips, then back up. The corners of his eyes crinkled at the edges with the hint of smiling, but it didn't reach his mouth. "It has real possibilities. Care to explain why my wife is sitting in a truck with her ex-boyfriend?" She could tell that he was trying hard to sound neutral, but the gleam in his eyes told her that he was barely containing the big green monster.

She sighed heavily then leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes. "It was either this, the alley, or outside on the street where everybody in the 'Burg' could get an earful. Option two was out for obvious reasons that are only known to you and me. Option three was out because I didn't want everything that was said to be fodder for the fools. Sorry, I know what this must look like, but honestly, what was said between Joe and I needed to be done with a little privacy."

She sighed loudly, "And….for what it's worth,…this is one of the few times that I'm going to say you were right and I was wrong. Joe was under the illusion that we were on another one of our 'time-outs'."

When she opened her eyes, he was smiling for real. "Okay," was all he said before he pulled her from the truck and kissed her softly on each cheek and then her lips.

She looked up at him dumbfounded. Where, she wondered was the screaming, yelling and hand gestures? "Sometimes, I forget you're not Italian. I love you, you know?"

"Yeah, I love you too. Babe, I was never angry at you. Lula called and told me about Joe trying to drag you into the alley. When I arrived, I saw him touch you and got a little crazy, but I '_never_' thought you were cheating on me. I was a bit upset that you didn't just tell him to get lost, but I get the reason why you decided the truck was the best place for your conversation. Now, let's go to lunch and see if we can quell the rumor mill. If we go about as usual, there will be less temptation for tongues to start wagging." He took her hand and entwined their left hands.

"And once again, you underestimate the power of gossip. It'll be around town that I'm stepping out on you and having Joe's love child in less than ten minutes, but then I'll probably blow something up and that'll give them an entirely different focus." She had to blink away the stinging emotion that had suddenly swamped her.

Ranger gently pushed her toward the alley and this time, with him, she didn't resist. Against the wall, he cradled her head between his hands and kissed her warmly and deeply, washing away the last dregs of the worry that had consumed her since Joe first touched her arm.

Ranger invited Lula to lunch, but she declined. He still made her slightly nervous. Pino's of course was the obvious choice, since it would help settle the wagging tongues. They hadn't been there ten minutes when her phone started ringing nonstop. She set it to silent and sat back to enjoy lunch with her husband.

After lunch, the afternoon breezed by as Ranger began training her for her new position. She was going to be in charge of research since none of the guys enjoyed that part of the job and she seemed to have a knack for sniffing out the truth. Around four, Ranger got a call on the location of a skip and went with Tank to apprehend the bail jumper.

As she shut down her computer, she decided to surprise Ranger and went up to the apartment to get ready. She showered, shaved and exfoliated. When she heard Ella, she called out to her that she was getting dressed. She threw on her new fluffy robe and went out to help set up. After they'd finished arranging everything and dinner was in the warmer, she went back to the bathroom to apply a little light make-up and dry her hair. When every curl was softly cascading down her back, she went into the bedroom to get dressed.

Of all the lingerie she'd bought the day of their wedding, she'd only worn the one outfit. Tonight, she knew just the right one for what she had planned. The black and hot pink number was perfect for seduction. It had a short sheer black top that scooped up around the neck in a halter fashion. The front split down the middle, leaving most of her stomach bare. Hot, pink lace trimmed the edges that swung loosely at her sides. The bottoms were sheer boy shorts with the same lace trimming the legs. She slid on her black silk robe and tied the sash, before going to light the candles that she and Ella had scattered about the apartment.

She had just turned on the music and dimmed the lights when she heard Ranger key fobbing his way through the door.


	5. Chapter 5

***Standard Disclaimer Applies – So, I had a review or two that wanted to see the hard edge of Ranger back. I personally couldn't agree more…however, that's a different story. This story is a love story and about how Ranger and Stephanie handle to the day-to-day trials of marriage. For those of you who want to see a hard edge to Ranger, you're just going to have to wait until the trilogy!!! The things I have planned for Stephanie and Ranger are well…..it's going to be hard core – and that's all I'm gonna say about that. Hope you enjoy!!! Thanks, Angie – my own personal muse!

Chapter 5

"Seduction"

He heard the music before he opened the door and wondered what his lovely wife had up her sleeve. The vision that greeted him took his breath away. He leaned against the door frame and watched as she walked seductively towards him, the black silk of her robe shimmered in the candlelight.

Ranger stood in a trancelike state as she made her way across the room. When she reached him, she stood close without touching, just inhaling his scent. She took in the sight of him, raking her eyes hungrily over his body. When she had drunk her fill, she allowed herself to touch him, using only her face. She rubbed her face over his chest, then to his shoulder and up the curve of his neck ending with her cheek resting against his. With her mouth now close to his ear, she asked huskily, "Did you have a good day?" She saw him swallow and felt his nod. "I missed you."

Ranger held his hands to his sides, balled his fists. He knew that if he touched her now, he'd ruin her plans. He'd grown torturously hard the minute he saw her. It was always so, but tonight he thought he'd be able to drive nails with the hard on he was sporting. When she stepped back, ceasing the caressing of her face against his body, he almost whimpered out loud.

She gently took his hand and led him towards the bedroom. "I started you a shower and laid out something more comfortable for you to slip into."

He was incapable of speech, the sexiness of her outfit and sultriness of her voice was completely intoxicating. He finally allowed himself to touch her, but just her hair as he twirled a curl around his finger. "What do you have on under this?" He asked, indicating with his eyes the slinky robe that she wore.

She turned her face into his palm and nuzzled him, "Later." Then she gently pushed him towards the bedroom.

Ranger thought to himself, he may have set a new record for fastest shower in the world. He toweled dry and then retrieved the lounge pants she'd laid on the bed. As he slid into them, he realized where the silk robe came from. It was the matching piece to his lounge pants. Something about her wearing his clothes always gave him a slight thrill. For him, it made a statement of her comfort level and screamed '_Yours_'.

She felt him as she always did, even before he entered the room. She turned from the window, allowing her eyes to drink in his beauty. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower and his sculpted abs, chest and arms left bare made her mouth water. _Down girl._

He stalked her like prey, stopping when his body was a breath away from hers, just as she'd done to him earlier. She saw by the intensity of his eyes that he knew the name of this game. _Seduction._ He skimmed his hands up her arms, barely touching her. Gently she placed her hands on his hips, itching to grip them and pull him against her already aching body. But, she denied herself, drawing out the pleasure.

He cupped her face gently between his hands, drinking deeply of her loveliness before his lips covered hers, running his tongue over the crease, pleading for entrance.

She gave him access to the warmth of her mouth. As the kiss deepened, he moved to hold her waist as she simultaneously rested her arms around his neck. They began to sway to the music, lost in the feel of each other. She felt as though she was in the _Dirty Dancing_ movie with all the bumping and grinding of their bodies.

When he dipped her low, she realized that he'd untied her robe and she dropped her hands to let it fall to the floor. Her head fell back and she moaned low as he caressed his palm down her exposed stomach. He brought her up quick and the desire flared between them like lava shooting up from a mountaintop.

He made the move again, this time swinging her low in a semi-circle, with his hand at her neck and his leg between hers. When he brought her upright, she felt the slither of silk slide down her body. "The lingerie was sexy as hell, but it was time for it to go."

She couldn't agree more as their bare chests touched and his hands splayed on her back. The tempo of the music changed and she rode out the rhythm against his leg, not the least bit embarrassed by the wet spot she left on the silk of his pants.

He stepped back, then spun her, pulling her against his chest. One arm stretched across her chest, fondling, while the other cupped her through her wet panties. "You're so wet….but I'm going to make wetter." He promised in his low timbre voice.

She gasped as he sunk his teeth into the curve of her neck, marking her. He had a flash of Morelli touching her arm and he growled under his breath, "Mine." He nibbled his way down her back, kneeling behind her between her legs. The sheer silk did nothing to hide the crack of her ass and the scalloped lace hugged the curves of her bottom lovingly.

Her knees nearly buckled when he ran the flat of his tongue along the edge of the hot, pink lace of her panties. When he darted the tip of his tongue under the lace, she came almost violently, her juices flowing down her leg.

He lapped up the juices that trickled towards his tongue. He wanted to see how many times he could make her cum, but knew he wouldn't last long enough to test that theory. She always managed to make him lose control, forgetting his goal.

He turned her so that he could tongue her through her panties, but decided to just get them out of his way so he slowly pulled them down her long legs. On his way to stand up, he peeled off his pants and then grasped her under her bottom to pick her up. With her legs wrapped around his waist and her mouth latched onto his neck, he made his way to the couch.

Stephanie placed her knees to the outside of his thighs and then she began to tease him, sliding her clit up and down against his length, spreading her wetness. He turned his attention to her perky breasts and took a dark nipple deep inside his mouth, swirling his tongue around the hard peek.

She came again as she rubbed against his straining cock. She rose slightly, and used her hand to help guide him into her heat. When she had him sheathed fully, she started to rock her hips back and forth, but he gripped her hips tightly and held her still.

"Babe, just…give…me a minute." He was panting hard, leaning his head back against the couch with his eyes closed. "You've got me so hard that if you move right now, I'm going to cum." His control was hanging on by a thread.

He always kept a tight reign on his control, to see that harness slip gave her a secret thrill. She decided to have mercy on him and laid her head into the curve of his neck, waiting for him to gain some control.

When she felt him move, she held on for the ride, pressing her mouth close to his ear. He pumped into her, alternating between short and shallow strokes to longer and deeper ones. When he went deep, she would scream his name and then when he slowed his movements she would purr her contentment. Once he'd gained control, his stamina was overwhelming. Just when she thought he was going to cum, he'd slow again and start the delicious process over again.

Normally, Stephanie was so swept up in the sensation of love making, that she couldn't think, much less talk during sex. However, tonight, it was as if she was drunk and with the high came a brazen boldness. She whispered against his ear, "I love it when you're inside me. Your cock is big and hard, filling me completely. When you fuck me, I go mad with desire and would do anything you ask. Oh, God, Ranger, I can't get enough of your dick inside me."

_Holy Shit!_ He thought he'd been turned on before, when she was seducing him, but her talking dirty in his ear was HOT. As she continued to whisper suggestions to him, the blood pounded in his head. He twisted them on the couch until he was on top of her. All he could think about was how he needed to be deeper inside her.

She brought her leg to rest on top of the couch and spread herself wide, preparing for the assault she knew was coming. She'd briefly seen the lost expression in his eyes and knew he was about to take her to paradise. When his arms scooped underneath her ass and he buried his face in her neck, she grasped the armrest of the couch, bracing herself in anticipation.

He pounded into her hot, wet pussy with wild abandonment. When she screamed, 'fuck me….harder…fuck me, Ranger', he roared with the primal need to mate. When her tight walls clenched around his cock, he came hard and violent, before he collapsed with exhaustion on top of her. It was then that he realized that she'd lost consciousness. He had a brief moment of panic, unsure of what to do.

He pulled out and went to get a wet wash cloth. He bathed her face, whispering tender words of love as he pressed soft kisses everywhere, her eyelids, her mouth, her neck. When she moaned softly, he asked quietly, "Babe, are you okay?"

She opened her eyes to see the worry and then groaned shaking her head. "Doomsday," she sighed with elated exhaustion.

Later in the night, after making love several more times, she had a fleeting thought about the meal they'd left in the warmer. She giggled as her stomach roared to life.

Ranger rose onto his elbows, to take in the sight of her sprawled out naked and flat on her stomach. He knew what had her laughing, they'd forgotten all about dinner. "Babe, I know I've done my job well when I can make you forget about food."

She laughed some more and then rose to find their clothes. "C'mon, stud, my stomach is rebelling." When he didn't move, she looked up and saw the desire pooling in his eyes. She gaped, thinking no way he could be ready again, but the proof was evident under the sheet draped at his waist. He smiled smugly at the direction of her eyes.

"You can just wipe that look off your face. You're not getting anymore until I've had some food." He laughed and joined her in the search for clothes and dinner.

After eating, they decided to relax on the couch and watch a movie. Ranger played with the curls splayed across his chest and wondered how to broach the subject of Joe.

She turned her head, "I can smell the something burning. What's on your mind?"

He squeezed her gently, "Babe, I'm going to talk to Morelli. I don't think that today was the last he'll have to say on the subject and I won't have him causing a scene with you every time the two of you see each other."

She could feel a little temper bubbling below the surface, but didn't really want to spoil the mood of the evening. She stood and walked to stand by the window, crossing her arms over her chest. Looking, but not really seeing the street below. She didn't want to think that Ranger was like all the other men of her past, controlling and domineering. "Do you think that I can't handle the situation with Joe? Or is it that you don't trust me to be alone with him?" She tried hard to keep her voice level, but the hurt still managed to come through in her tone.

He knew he'd stepped in it and backtracked through what he'd said. Seeing nothing he'd change, he started again. "Babe…," when she didn't turn, he started again, "Steph." She finally turned and he could see the hurt in her eyes, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what he'd said so wrong.

He stood from the couch and started to step toward her, but halted when she took a step back. He sighed, _yep_, he'd definitely stepped in it. Now, the question was, how exactly did he get out of it? "Babe, it's not that I don't trust you. It's just that you and Joe have so much history; history that you and I don't have. I can only tell you how I'd feel if the shoe was on the other foot. If you'd come back, married to him, talking to you wouldn't help. In fact, talking to you would put both of us in a position of breaking something that I feel is sacred, marriage vows."

He stalked toward her, because now he was a little angry that she couldn't see it from his point of view. "If you'd married him, it would've torn me apart, but it wouldn't stop me from wanting you and from trying at every opportunity to touch you. If Joe feels half of that, then talking to you isn't going to be enough. I just thought, if I talked to him, man to man, that he'd back off from causing a scene every time your paths cross."

She could see the sincerity in his eyes, that he trusted her and was just trying to make a bad situation better. She uncrossed her arms from her chest and heaved a big sigh.

When he saw she no longer held herself in a defensive stance, he took that as his opportunity and moved in swiftly, pulling her into his arms. "Babe, I'm not trying to control you. I'm just going to talk to Joe, set some boundaries."

She harrumphed, "More like mark your territory?" When he went still as a statue, she knew she'd hit the nail on the head. "Did you think that I didn't know what that kiss was all about this afternoon in the truck?"

He relaxed when he realized that her tone was lighter, almost teasing. "And that bothers you?" He pressed a light kiss to the dark bruise he'd left on her neck earlier.

She shook her head, "As long as you understand that it's a two way street. If some harlot shows up, putting her paws all over you, it won't be pretty."

He pulled her close, resting his cheek against hers, "Are we good?" He felt her smile against his cheek and the quick nod as she leaned in closer.

"Yeah, we're good…we survive our first marital disagreement without bloodshed." She saw his wolf grin and couldn't help but smile herself.

"You know what this means?" He rubbed his hard member against the juncture between her thighs.

"Oh, yeah,….make-up sex!" Her hormones were already doing a victory dance.

He backed her into the bedroom, pulling off articles of clothing as they went. By the time she felt her legs hit the bed, he had them both completely naked and panting with need. They fell to the bed in a tangle of limbs, groping for each other in a heated rush to fulfill their desires.


	6. Chapter 6

***No ownership, no fee. This chapter was really difficult for me. My muse didn't want to come out and play, so I had to call in reinforcements. Thanks Angie for all your help. Thanks to all of you reading this story and for your encouragement. I hope you enjoy!

_He backed her into the bedroom, pulling off articles of clothing as they went. By the time she felt her knees hit the bed, he had them both completely naked and panting with need. They fell to the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, groping for each other in a heated rush to fulfill their desires. _

Chapter 6

"Man to Man"

"Three?" She sat at the breakfast bar with her mouth gaping.

"Yes, three. It's really not a big deal. I started dabbling in real estate several years ago and so now I have three, in Trenton."

She couldn't believe that he had three houses and this weekend he was taking her to all of them, so she could choose which one she wanted to live in. He wanted them to spend their weekends away from the office. Stephanie was flabbergasted that there was not one, but three Batcaves. That's also when the realization came to her that he had money….a LOT of it! It overwhelmed her.

"Exactly….how rich are you?" Her curiosity got the better of her and she blurted out the question, without thinking how rude it sounded.

"Not me…WE…and enough for both of us to retire comfortably, right now."

He said it nonchalantly, but she could see the pride that came with the accomplishment. She watched as her husband got up from the table, put his dirty dishes away and picked up the remaining articles of clothing they'd left behind last night in their heated rush. Watching him do such domesticated tasks was always a bit surprising to her.

"Wait a minute, you said in Trenton. What does that mean?"

He almost laughed out loud at the incredulous look on her face. "Babe, I also have a house in Boston and Miami. When we visit those offices, that's where we'll stay."

She shook her head, wondering what she'd gotten herself into. Stephanie loved Ranger for who he was, not his money. Now, she finds out he's very wealthy and he just brushes it off like it's nothing. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" She picked up his sweats and her panties, intending to put them in the laundry basket. Her head snapped up, stunned, when he jerked the panties out of her hands. He backed her up against the wall and lifted her up by her underarms. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He growled against her lips, "You have no idea how many surprises I have in store for you." His mouth molded to her in a hungry kiss.

When he pulled back and she could breathe again, she said, "You're just trying to distract me from your meeting with Joe."

He laughed as he let her down from her perch, "The thought never crossed my mind, but….did it work?"

"No," she made a grab for the panties, but he was quicker and stuffed them in his pocket.

He smirked and patted his pocket, "Babe, I told you last night. I'm just going to talk to him and set some boundaries."

"Joe never set boundaries with you."

He reached out and tucked a curl behind her ear. "Yeah, he did. I just never listened."

She frowned, "What makes you think he'll listen?"

"Because, deep down, Joe's a nice guy."

She looked thoughtful, "And you're not?"

A feral look passed across his expression and in a flash, he had her pinned to the wall again. This time, he ground his erection against her center. "No. I'm an opportunist. Never make the mistake of forgetting who you married. You and I both know that I applied pressure at every opportunity I got. I had no intention of losing you to Morelli and the 'burg'."

She pouted, "But, you've always been nice to me." Okay, well nice wasn't exactly the word she'd use, but she'd never been really scared of him.

He released her, tugged her towards the door and wrapped his arm around her waist as he led her out the door. He saw the emotions flashing across her features and knew she'd reconsidered her last statement. "Precisely. Now, quit worrying and go to work."

It wasn't until she was in her truck, on the way to the bonds office that she realized he still had her panties in his pocket. The thought made her blush and hot at the same time.

* * *

Ranger walked briskly to Joe's front door and wasn't surprised when the door opened before he could knock. Joe didn't say anything. He just motioned him inside.

"What do you want Manoso? I've got to be at work in an hour, so make it fast." Joe didn't like the man, but respected him. He knew this visit was about Stephanie and figured they might as well get the pissing match over with.

Ranger thought to himself, if Joe wanted to get straight to business, then he'd cut straight to the chase. "I came to talk about Stephanie and your treatment of her. In the future, you'll be more respectful of my wife. The way you treat her will no longer be tolerated." Yep, that ought to do it.

Joe's lip curled, "Your wife…you just love throwing that in my face, don't you? Well, let me tell you a thing or two about your '_wife'!_ The whole reason we broke up was because I was tired of sharing her with you and your goons. Bet she didn't tell you that did she."

Ranger schooled his features. True, she never really discussed their exact break-up conversation; there was really no point in him knowing all the 'dirty' details. The fact that Joe was now implying that Stephanie was involved in a ménage a trios with his men was not only ridiculous, but demeaning. Well, that was the exact reason they were having this conversation. The derogatory comments had to stop. Ranger refused to have Stephanie's image or self confidence battered anymore…by anyone. "Exactly what are you implying? Keep in mind, Morelli, you'll want to be cautious about smearing my wife's name."

Joe's smiled snidely as he responded, "Oh, please, are you blind, Manoso? She has all your men wrapped around her finger. Hell, after her last disaster, she walked away from me, arm and arm with three of your band of goons. And what do you think she did with them? Hell, I never realized she was into group sex. Shit, if I'd known, my buddies and I could have really had some fun with her."

Ranger grabbed Joe by the shirtfront before shoving his forearm against Joe's neck and warned, "Careful, Morelli, you're dangerously close to pissing me off."

"Okay, okay, let me go, Manoso." Joe straightened his shirt and brushed his hands down the front of his pants; he took a deep breath and continued his explanation. "Anyway, that's why when we talked the next time; I told her it was best if we broke it off. If she wants to sleep with your entire company and it doesn't bother you, then you're crazier than I thought

Ranger threw his head back and laughed outright. "Joe, you're a good cop, but sometimes you miss the most important details." He shook his head at Joe's stupidity. "I know all about that night. She was so torn up about you yelling at her in front of everybody, again, that my men decided to take her out and let her blow off some steam. They didn't know it took so little for her to get drunk, until she'd passed out at the table. They carried her back to my apartment where she slept it off…alone…completely naked between my sheets."

Joe's face was red now with fury, "That's bullshit. Stephanie doesn't sleep naked. And if you weren't there, how do you know?"

Ranger couldn't believe that he'd finally won her because of Joe's insane jealousy and something that was completely innocent. "In my bed, she does. I know what happened that night because my entire building is monitored and my housekeeper picked up her clothes the next morning. Besides, I trust Stephanie and know from experience that she doesn't mess around when she's in a committed relationship. Believe me when I say I know."

Realization finally dawned on Joe, but the stubborn set of his jaw let Ranger know that he was still holding onto something. "And to answer your next question, no. Stephanie and I were together one time, when you weren't seeing each other. She never had sex with me while you two were together. Face it Joe, you never understood her. That was the problem all along with your relationship."

Joe looked defeated and sighed loudly. "And you do? Understand her?"

Ranger put his hand in his pocket and smiled a secret smile as he fondled her panties. "Yeah, I do. She's mine now, Joe. I'll only ask once for you to respect that."

Joe threw up his hands in frustration. "What the hell do you see in her anyway? She's a fucking one woman demolition crew. Hell, trouble follows her everywhere she goes."

Ranger was losing patience with Joe's attitude. He was beginning to understand why all these years she'd had no self-confidence. "It's no concern of yours anymore. Just remember that I'm the lucky son of a bitch that gets the next fifty years or so making her as happy as she makes me."

Joe hated him for his coolness. "Good riddance. I didn't need the acid reflux anyway."

Ranger smiled as he drove the knife in further. "Lucky for me that you couldn't accept her the way she is. I hope you keep this conversation in mind the next time you cross paths with her. Stephanie is mine, not yours." Ranger watched as Joe turned, to run a hand through his hair.

"You love her?" Joe had to know that this wasn't just about winning. Even after it all, he still cared about her and loved her. He didn't like the fact that it was Manoso that would get to spend the rest of his life with her.

"Yeah, I love her. She's my light and I plan on spending every waking moment of my life showing her." Ranger watched the internal battle as Joe tried to let go of the dysfunctional relationship he'd had with Stephanie. He knew it must be hard to give up something as special as his wife.

The muscle in his jaw was clenching and unclenching. "Fine. Now, get out of my house, so I can go to work."

Ranger didn't have to be told twice. He'd tired of this conversation the minute Joe had tried to make something out of Stephanie's relationship with his men.

* * *

Stephanie chewed her bottom lip as she sat at her new desk. She couldn't believe that Ranger had rearranged his office for her. Her new cherry desk sat in the corner of his office and sported her new laptop he'd bought her when they'd been in Corinth. She loved that he wanted her close to him while working.

She'd spent more of her morning fielding calls from her mother about the confrontation with Joe. She'd known the minute Joe approached her, she would have to listen to her mother's rant. Her speech problems from the other day seemed to have vanished. She thought about the conversation and scowled.

"_Stephanie, you're married now and have no business sitting in a truck with your ex-boyfriend. What will the neighbors say? They'll think you're cheating on your husband."_

"_Mom, trust me, it was either talk to Joe in the truck or do it on the side-walk for the entire 'burg' to hear. Besides, Ranger doesn't think anything of the kind. In fact, he's gone now to talk to Joe about respecting me in public."_

"_Oh, dear Lord. That's all you need is for your ex-boyfriend and your husband to have a confrontation."_

"_It's not like that. Mom, why do you have to always find the negative? Ranger and I are happy. I love him and he's taking care of me."_

"_I just think that you need to be careful when pitting those two against each other. Now, will you be coming to dinner tonight?"_

"_No, Mom. Ranger and I will only be coming to dinner once a week."_

"_What? You can't cook. And you'll most certainly lose that man if you serve him fast food all the time. A man needs his wife to be take care of him."_

"_Mom, I don't have to cook. Ranger has a housekeeper. Her name is Ella and she cooks all our meals. I gotta go Mom. I've got work to do."_

Thank goodness her mom had been rendered speechless by the housekeeper comment and she let her off the phone. She scowled again at her mom's out-dated view of marriage.

"Babe, you keep scowling like that you're going to get wrinkles. Besides, you're a newlywed. You aren't supposed to be unhappy. What's got you so uptight?" His hands went to her shoulders and started massaging.

She'd been so deep in thought; she hadn't heard him come in. "Oh, it's nothing. Just the usual lecture from my mom. She got wind of the Joe confrontation yesterday and had to tell me what a bad wife I am."

Ranger thought, he needed to have to have another conversation about the treatment of his wife. Maybe, just maybe, he'd bypass the mom and have another man to man, but this time with her dad. He smiled when he thought of the unassuming man that was Stephanie's dad. He was betting that when Frank did have his say, it would be in encouragement of his daughter.

"Babe, you're not a bad wife. What we build together will be our own version of married life, not somebody else's." He spun her chair around and leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips.

She gave him a dazzling smile. "How do you always know exactly how to make me feel better?"

He pulled her up and into his arms. "That's my job."

She toyed with his ponytail, then leaned in to kiss him above the neck of his shirt. "And you do it so well."

"C'mon, let's get out of here." He was already pulling her out the office door.

She could see that he had something on his mind. "What about work?"

Ranger smiled, "That's the benefit of being the boss. I have something to show you and we won't be gone long."

* * *

She stood between his legs propped against the hood of the Turbo looking out at the activity below. He'd brought her to a clearing that over-looked the city. It was peaceful standing there with her husbands arms around her.

He kissed her neck and then behind her ear. "I come here sometimes to relax. I thought you needed to unwind."

She smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Thanks. So, do you want to tell me about your visit with Joe?" She thought she heard him sigh. Surely, he didn't think she wouldn't ask.

"Babe, we talked. It was….enlightening. And, no, I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of the conversation. We talked and came to an understanding regarding his behavior around you and that's really all there was to it." No way was he telling her that Joe thought she was sleeping with him and all his men.

She chewed her bottom lip. Decisions, decisions. Did she push the issue or let it die a natural death? "Somehow, I think there's a little more to it than that, but I'll let it drop….for now."

He turned her to face him. "Good decision. Now….," he trailed a few hot kisses up her jaw line. "Ever made love in a Porsche?"

She gave him a wicked grin, remembering how they'd made love in the rain. "No, but I'm about to."

They laughed like teenagers as they groped each other, making their way to the back seat of the car. In a heated rush, clothes flying, they got naked in the back seat of the Turbo.

Ranger entwined their fingers as he poised above her. His only thought was how beautiful she was. No, he wouldn't change a thing. He thrust inside her and marveled at what her sweet sounds did to him.

Her only thought as she came was how lucky she was to have him for her very own. She felt him shudder with his own climax and welcomed him into her arms. Later, much later, she would laugh that they'd made love in broad daylight in the back seat of a car and she hadn't thought once about being caught. That's what he did to her. He made her forget the world around them.


	7. Chapter 7

******Don't own them, not receiving any money. Angie, as always, you make my thoughts and words come across better. I can't believe my good fortune in finding such a great beta and friend. As always, I hope that you guys enjoy the latest in my Stephanie and Ranger saga. And as always watch out for the SMUT – if it offends you, skip the ending!!**

_Her only thought as she came was how lucky she was to have him for her very own. She felt him shudder with his own climax and welcomed him into her arms. Later, much later, she would laugh that they'd made love in broad daylight in the back seat of a car and she hadn't thought once about being caught. That's what he did to her. He made her forget about the world around them._

Chapter 7

"Definitely Treat"

Stephanie looked out the window of her new home and was glad that she'd chosen this one. The fall colors on the trees, from the front window seat, were brilliant shades of gold and red. When he'd shown her the three houses, she'd felt like Goldilocks. The first had been too big and would have required a permanent housekeeper and groundskeeper. With its six bedrooms and two acres of lawn and gardens, Stephanie was a bit overwhelmed. It might be okay if they had several children and where ready to settle down, but not right now. Their lives were just too busy for that kind of responsibility.

The second house had really been too small. It was a quaint two bedroom house and had plenty of room inside, but Ranger wanted more room on the outside for a pool. The other problem had been that the neighbors were a little too close for some of the outdoors activities they enjoyed.

When he showed her the third house, she fell in love. The two story house was a good distance from the road and had an enclosed backyard with a pool. It had three bedrooms and the layout was open and airy. When she saw the master bedroom, she knew this was the one. It had an office that Ranger or she could use for work if necessary and the living room was open and connected with the kitchen. It had the added convenience of being close enough to the 'Burg', without actually being in the 'Burg'.

They'd spent every weekend at the house. Stephanie was now waiting for Ranger to get back from the office. She'd taken the day off to get ready for their date. They were going to a Halloween party at the Rumba room. It was still a shock to her that he'd agreed to get dressed up and take her to the party. Since he'd been so sweet, she'd decided to have mercy on him with his costume.

She'd ordered the Zorro costume online, thinking it was perfect since he'd be comfortable in all that black. For her, she'd ordered the slutty version of a Seniorita costume. It was a red off the shoulder corset dress with a ruffled skirt that split up one leg. The split showed her thigh high stockings and garter belt as it parted nearly to her crotch. She hadn't wanted to wear the shoes that went with the outfit and opted for her four-inch spiked boots that stopped short of her knees.

This afternoon, Mary Lou had helped her with her hair. They'd styled it so that it was in a side twist, and her curls spiraling over one shoulder and tied loosely with a red ribbon. She'd gone heavy on the make-up emphasizing her eyes with fake eyelashes. After applying her fire-engine red lipstick, she'd decided to wait until Ranger was getting dressed to do so herself. If he saw her in the outfit before he was dressed, they'd never make it out of the house.

A lot of changes had occurred in the last several months. For some strange reason, Stephanie's mother had stopped nagging. Once, her mom had started to nag her about something, then all of a sudden stopped and had quickly changed the subject. Stephanie could've sworn she saw her dad give her mom a silencing look, but couldn't be sure since she'd never seen that particular look on her dad's face. Stephanie thought both of their behaviors were very foreign to her parents, but honestly was pleased with the change in their demeanors.

Stephanie and Ranger had moved into their house. Tank proposed to Lula for real this time. Lula decided they were just going to run off to get married like Ranger and Stephanie. Valerie finally had her fourth child, another girl. She named the newest edition to the Kloughn family, Corrina.

Stephanie heard the door open and waited for him to find her. Ranger didn't call out to her; he knew where she'd be when he came home. The sunroom with its bay windows was her favorite place in the house. It was painted in warm yellow and the furniture was white rattan with plush cushions and lots of comfy pillows.

Ranger found her sitting on her favorite perch, the wide window seat; their eyes met and the immediate current sparked as always. "Ahí está mi hermosa esposa." He watched with appreciation as she rose and walked towards him, her hips swaying under the silk robe.

_Translation: There's my beautiful wife._

"¿Tuviste un buen día, el marido?" She wrapped her hands around his neck and rubbed her cheek against his. She didn't want to get lipstick all over him, so satisfied herself with just the feel of him against her skin.

_Translation: Did you have a good day, husband?_

He inhaled deeply of her scent. "Sí. Tu pelo se ve precioso. ¿Por qué no estás vestido?"

_Translation: Yes. Your hair looks lovely. Why aren't you dressed?_

She laughed as his Spanish got faster. "Okay, enough with the Spanish lessons, it's taxing my brain trying to keep up. Thank-you about the hair and I'm waiting for you to get dressed. I wanted to surprise you. Now go get ready before we both get distracted and miss the party."

He kissed her on the forehead and went towards the bedroom to get dressed. He was definitely glad she'd gotten the Zorro costume. He'd nearly had second thoughts about going when she'd said that it was a costume party. The real panic set in when she said she'd take care of the costumes. He discovered that his concerns were unfounded. Leave it to Stephanie to find something he'd be comfortable in. He had to admit, it was a great costume.

When he was dressed and ready, he went to find her. He didn't have to look long. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. _Dear God, she was going to be the death of him._

She smiled smugly as his eyes raked over her from head to toe. "See something you like, Ranger?"

"Puedo ver que voy a tener que matar a alguien antes de las noches más. Pon tu trasero dulce en el coche antes de que me inclino sobre la mesa y olvidarse de la fiesta." He pointed towards the garage in case some of what he said got lost in translation.

_Translation: I can see that I'm going to have to kill somebody before the nights over. Get your sweet ass in the car before I bend you over that table and forget all about the party._

She giggled as she raced towards the car with him following close behind her.

* * *

The party was in full bloom. Ranger and Stephanie had spent most of their time on the dance floor. It was nice to get dressed up and step into another role for a night.

Ranger motioned towards the bar and they left the dance floor in search of something to quench their thirst. When they were almost to the bar, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Shit. I told them not to bother me unless it was really important." He gave her an apologetic look as he took out his phone to look at the text as Stephanie read over his shoulder.

"Oh, hell, no. We're not working tonight." He saw her pout and knew he was going to have to persuade her.

"Babe, the skips here and so are we. All you have to do is sashay that fine ass of yours over there, crook your finger and he'll follow you like a horny teenager with his first boner. Besides, it's a high bond. Your share will be 25K. Didn't I hear somebody say the other day that she wanted to increase her stock portfolio?" Ranger knew he had her hooked with the promise of extra money.

"Fine. But you're going to owe me for having to work on Halloween."

The words were no sooner out her mouth when his cell phone vibrated in his hand again. They both stood shocked, with their mouths hanging open, as they read the second message.

_Change of plans. Just got new intel. Skip's gay. Hector's not available. You'll have to improvise._

She couldn't help herself. Stephanie doubled over in a fit of laughter. When she recovered, she saw the firm set of his jaw and knew she'd have to persuade him. "Ranger, the skips here and so are we. All you have to do is sashay that fine ass of yours over there, crook your finger and he'll follow you like a puppy. Besides, didn't I hear somebody say the other day something about a new toy? It seems like I remember a new Harley." She waggled her eyebrows at him, grinning with the irony of the situation.

He could see she was thoroughly enjoying herself. "Fine. But you're going to owe me. I'm going to need help washing this image out of my brain. And my fee is you, in nothing but those damn boots."

She got a little damp from that image herself. She put a hand to her breast in an effort to steady herself. "Okay, okay. I'll even set it up for you."

Stephanie pushed him away from her and stomped towards the bar. She bellied up beside the Elvis impersonator, waving her hand, signaling the bar tender. "Vodka on the rocks, heavy on the vodka."

The skip gave her a sweet smile. Yep, she thought, this one was in the bag.

"You got man troubles, too?" The skip gave her a sympathetic look.

She gave the skip a scowl, picked up her drink and downed it in one gulp. She knew she'd be sorry about that later, but it went with the disgruntled appearance she was going for. She hooked a finger towards the dance floor, where Ranger was bumping and grinding by himself and almost choked on her words.

"Yeah, they're either married or gay. Stupid blind dates. You'd think the guy would bother telling my friend that he's gay. Seems he's still in the closet and shy about coming out." She watched as the Elvis impersonators eyes almost bug out of his head as he took in her husband.

She gave him a sideways look, raising both eyebrows. "You interested? I could probably hook you up." The guys head bobbed up and down. Perfect, she signaled Ranger and he walked over to join them. Yep, hook line and sinker.

* * *

Both were silent on the way home. The image of the skips hand on Ranger's ass as they walked out of the bar was still too fresh in both their minds. Finally, Ranger broke the silence when they pulled into their garage.

"Babe, if you're not naked in the next two minutes, I won't be responsible for the destruction of that dress." His voice was low and rife with sexual tension.

She laughed and took off at land speed, shucking clothes as she went. He sprinted after her, gathering the discarded clothes she left in her wake. Breathless, she stood at the foot of the stairs, in nothing but her boots.

Ranger tossed the clothes on a nearby chair, raking his eyes down her body and then back up. His voice was low, dangerous, "Take your hair down."

They'd played this game before and she felt herself go damp with anticipation. Ever so slowly, she pulled the ribbon loose and then the bobby pins, laying them on the banister post. She ran her hands through her hair, dislodging the hairspray and tousling her curls into wild disarray.

"Touch yourself for me, carino. Show me where you want my hands." His erection was almost painful as he watched her caress her breasts. She brought the rosy peeks to hard nubs. When her hands moved to between her legs, he started removing his clothes as he walked towards her. He kept the mask in his hands as he discarded the last of his clothes.

When he was only a breath away, he skimmed his up her sides, feeling her skin quiver with need. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her as he felt her knees buckle. He smiled, thinking her inability to stand was perfect for what he had planned. He eased her down onto the steps.

She gasped out loud when he pulled both her arms upward and secured them with his mask. The desire overruled the slight fear she had of having no control. She whimpered when he pulled away.

He sat back to admire the sight before him. The black leather boots hugged her calves and her breath was ragged, causing her breasts to heave up and down. He could see her sex glistening with her arousal and licked his lips in anticipation of tasting her sweet juices. With her arms tied above her head, the picture she made was more erotic than any Playboy centerfold he'd ever seen.

When his lips descended on her sex, she arched her back and moaned out loud. As his tongue circled her clit, she tried to bring her arms down and run her fingers through his hair, but was gently pushed away. He looked up into her eyes, silently commanding her to stay as he'd positioned her. She watched as took her aching nub between his teeth and sucked hard, bringing forth a steady flow of cum.

He loved how she responded to his ardent touch. Her sweet moans and gasp increased his own arousal as he gave her pleasure. He used his tongue to bring her to completion before poising above her, nudging her entrance. He smiled as she braced her heels on the last step of the stairs, preparing for his invasion of her hot center. He gripped her wrists with both his hands and thrust inside her fast and hard.

Stephanie cried out as he stroked her; his cock moving in by long inches. His stream of Spanish was barely coherent as he whispered in her ear.

When he felt her near the edge, he bent and drew one hard pebble into his mouth. She bucked and screamed his name, signaling her climax, giving him permission for his own release.

She sighed lazily as he withdrew from her soaked pussy. Stephanie propped an elbow on the tread of the stairs and teased, "If that's your reaction, we'll have to go after gay skips more often."

He threw an arm over his eyes, "You just had to bring that image back to my mind, didn't you?"

She barely contained the laughter, "Oh, yeah. I did."

He turned to give her his best glare, "And why, may I ask?"

She straddled him, outstretching her hands in front of her, silently asking him to remove the mask that held her wrists together. When he'd untied her, she answered, "So I won't be the only one with rug burn in the morning." She slid down onto his already hard member and moved to a beat that only they knew.


	8. Chapter 8

******No Ownership, no fee. Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!!! Smut abounds in each and every chapter. If it offends – move on to another story!!! This chapter was one of the first chapter's that played out in my mind. I can't wait to get it onto paper and hope that you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed imagining it. Thanks Angie for all your support and encouragement.**

_She straddled him and held out her hands for him to remove the mask holding her wrists together. When he'd untied her, she answered. "So I won't be the only one with rug burn in the morning." She slid down onto his already hard dick and moved to a beat that only they knew._

Chapter 8

"Throw Them Away"

Ranger found her in one of the few places she ever worked; the kitchen. He wanted to laugh, but knew it'd be wise not to. She was covered in flour and something sticky that he couldn't identify from where he stood in the doorway. Why she'd volunteered to make the pumpkin pies for her mom's house and the capirotada for his, he'd never know, especially considering her dislike for cooking.

He walked in behind her and pinned her to the counter, grasping her hips. "Mmmm. You smell like cinnamon and vanilla. What can I do to help?"

His touch was driving her crazy. "Back off first, you're distracting me."

Ranger stepped back, holding his hands in the air. They both laughed at his easy surrender. She looked at the clock and realized the time. It was nearly ten in the morning, and if she didn't get in the shower soon, they'd never make it to his mom's house.

"Pour that mixture into those two pie shells, while I take out the capirotada." Carefully she took out the bread pudding and then turned to retrieve the two pumpkin pies. After she had them in the oven, Ranger gently pushed her towards the bedroom, indicating that she go get ready.

She couldn't leave the pies in the oven. She'd never live it down if they burned. "Ranger, what are you doing? I can't leave the pies. They'll burn."

"Babe, go take your shower. I'll watch the pies." He gave her an affectionate pat on the ass when she gave him a skeptical look. "It'll be fine. I promise not to let them burn."

As Stephanie left the room, she saw him retrieve another pan from the cupboard and wondered idly what he was up to.

Stephanie showered and shaved quickly. She dried her curls into soft waves that fell around her shoulder blades. After applying her make-up, she went to put on her holiday attire. As she slid into her cream colored cashmere sweater with the satin shawl collar, she thought about how nice it was to be able to afford designer clothes. Her chocolate slacks with the wide legs displayed her suede Manolo's perfectly. She spritzed with Dolce and went to see how Ranger did with the pies.

What she saw made her mouth drop open in astonishment. Not only had Ranger put all the pies in their perspective carriers, but he had somehow managed to make chocolate oatmeal cookies in the process. She knew he'd made them for her because they were one of her favorites.

Ranger walked over and shoved one of the cookies in her mouth. "C'mon let's go before you make a smart remark and ruin it."

She didn't dare laugh and risk losing her cookie.

* * *

They barely made it in time for dinner with Ranger's family, but the meal and socializing was good. It was such a relief that Ranger's family had finally accepted Stephanie and everyone enjoyed the visit. When lunch had been eaten and the dishes cleared away, Ranger and Stephanie took off for the Plum family dinner.

After stuffing themselves for the second time that day, Stephanie and Ranger sat around the table with her family and talked about the upcoming Christmas holiday. Valerie worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Stephanie could see that she was trying to get up her courage to ask her something. Finally, Stephanie couldn't stand the suspense any longer.

"Spill it, Val. I know you want something, so what is it?" Stephanie saw the worry and tried to smile in encouragement.

Valerie sighed loudly, "I need a babysitter for tomorrow. It's Black Friday, and I really need to go shopping because of all the sales. Money's tight this year and I need all the help I can get. Mom's taking Mary Alice and Lisa and Albert's mom is going to keep Angie. I was wondering if you'd watch Corrina. She's really easy to care for right now, since she's not mobile yet."

Stephanie could see the panic on Val's face at not having a babysitter and volunteered before she'd thought it through. The relief was palpable in Val's body language, but Stephanie could see something was still bothering her. She raised her eyebrows at Val, indicating for her to continue.

"Okay, well, here's the deal. I really need to be at Macy's for their early bird sale."

Stephanie frowned, not really seeing where this was going.

Valerie finished in a rush, "Iknowhowmuchyoulikeyou'."

Now, it was Stephanie's turn to panic as she shrieked, "Five?" She felt Ranger's stomach move with laughter. He'd just been sitting there with his arm around Stephanie, listening as he played with her hair. He seemed to find it entertaining that she was upset about having to get up at the butt crack of dawn. When she gave him a glare, he cleared his throat and joined the conversation.

"Val, I might be able to help. I'm going to be up at four to cover a shift on the monitors with Tank. I can come down and get the baby. I'll take her upstairs and put her in bed with Stephanie." He leaned down and kissed his shocked wife's lips.

Valerie beamed at Ranger, "Oh, thank you. That'll be a big help." Valerie's demeanor had changed to all bubbly as she started talking about the girls Christmas lists. "I've just got to narrow it down a bit before going shopping in the morning."

Stephanie was still sitting in stunned silence when Ranger held his hand out for the paper Valerie was holding. "May I? Stephanie and I haven't decided what to get the girls yet. Their lists will help us decide."

Stephanie watched as Ranger perused the list, initialing the most expensive items from each girl's column with R/S. When he handed the list back to Valerie, Stephanie could see her immediate objection to his choices.

"Oh, no, I can't let you buy those, they're too expensive." Her cheeks colored with embarrassment, the subject of money never being a comfortable thing to discuss among the Plum family.

Ranger laid his hand gently over Val's, "Val, Steph and I don't have any children. Christmas is about seeing the delight in their little eyes when they receive a gift. Please, allow us to do this; it would give us pleasure to do so."

Stephanie knew he had Val with the word _please_. It seemed that no one could deny him when he said that word. Well, no female that is.

Valerie nodded and thanked him again. Stephanie knew that Christmas was going to be hard for them, but with Ranger's generosity the financial burden was going to be relived some, letting Valerie and Albert enjoy the holiday without the added stress of worrying about money. Stephanie's heart fluttered at her husband's thoughtfulness.

* * *

Ranger was watching the monitors when he saw his sister-in-laws car pull up to the gate. When he went to retrieve the baby, she'd had a list a mile long regarding all the 'what if's'. He reassured her by telling her that Ella was at home. Since Ella had raised five boys, they both felt she could offer assistance if needed. That seemed to ease Valerie's concerns; she left quickly after that, headed out towards a day of hectic shopping with a big smile on her face.

Ranger carried the sleeping baby in her carrier up to the seventh floor apartment. Quietly, he entered the apartment; he didn't want to wake the baby or his Babe. Setting the carrier on the floor, he arranged several pillows onto his side of the bed and then lined the floor with more.

When he was satisfied that he'd taken every precaution for the possibility of the baby rolling off the bed, he gently lifted her from the carrier. Ranger looked down at the innocence he held in his arms. The fragrance of baby powder and formula wafted through his nostrils. The feel and smell tugged at his heart and he got that same jolt of protectiveness he felt when he watched his Babe sleeping.

He nestled Corrina beside Stephanie, he brushed his hand over his wife's face moving a few wild curls from her forehead. "Babe, I've got to go back to work. Don't forget the baby's in bed with you." Deep longing stirred within, as he watched her stretch and rub the sleep from her eyes. All he really wanted to do was to get back in bed and enjoy her warmth.

She smiled sleepily, "Mmmm, okay." When she saw the hunger in his eyes, she asked, "Are you sure you have to go downstairs right away?"

Ranger knelt beside the bed, cradled Stephanie's face in his hands and gave her a tender kiss, caressing her tongue with his. When both of their breathing was ragged, he pulled back enough to rest his forehead against hers. "I'll be back around lunch. Ella will be up around seven to wake you and bring your breakfast. Don't hesitate to ask her for help. She'd love to get her hands on that baby."

He smiled as he lovingly watched his wife snuggled back down under the covers, gently cradling Corrina in the curve of her body. Reluctantly, he left the apartment to go back to the fifth floor and monitor duty.

* * *

The first image Ranger saw, when he entered the apartment later that morning, was his wife's luscious ass sticking up in the air as she knelt over the baby. He smiled broadly at the image she struck as she blew raspberries on Corrina's bare stomach. Corrina squealed in delight, kicking her little legs and waving her arms frantically at the tickling sensation. Ranger walked over and stretched out on the floor beside them.

Stephanie smiled at Ranger pulled down the baby's shirt, and moved over to straddle her husband. "I stink. Will you watch Corrina while I take a quick shower?"

He squeezed her hips with his large hands and gave her a smug look. "Babe, there's nothing quick about your showers."

Her cheeks immediately colored, as she thought about the new shower massager Ranger had installed after the old one had burned out. He'd told her it was a small sacrifice to make, considering she'd taught him some inventive ways to share the experience.

He loved the slight coloring that stained her cheeks and looked for every opportunity to enjoy its occurrence. "I'll make you a deal. You forgo the massager and I'll make it up to you after Valerie comes to get the munchkin."

She gave him a quick kiss and jumped up to go to the bathroom. Before she disappeared from his view, she answered, "I'm going to hold you to that deal."

* * *

As she stepped through the entrance to the living room, the scene of Ranger playing with the baby had tears welling in the corner of her eyes. He was entertaining Corrina with a rattle.

Stephanie just stood there and watched as images of him as a father flashed through her brain, causing her heart to flutter with an unaccustomed yearning.

When the baby started to get fussy, he picked her up, lay on his back and placed Corrina on top of his legs. What he did next made her smile even wider. He had Corrina positioned so that she lay on top of the bottom part of his legs, holding her little hands to keep her in place as he started doing crunches. Leave it to Ranger to figure out how to make entertaining a baby into an exercise routine.

He knew she was watching him, but didn't really mind. Even though he knew she'd tease him endlessly later. He was really enjoying spending time with the baby.

Stephanie came into the room and scooped the baby from Ranger's legs and swishing her through the air causing Corrina to squeal with delight. "I believe somebody else needs a bath."

Ranger stayed in the floor and finished his crunches and then went to the bedroom to change clothes. He heard Stephanie talking to Corrina and he couldn't resist the urge to watch.

When he stepped into the bathroom, the sight stopped him dead in his tracks. Not in her skimpiest distraction outfit, was she more arousing than she was at that moment. She sat on the floor beside the tub and rinsed the soap off of Corrina. She wore knit tap pants and one of his black t-shirts while her hair cascaded over her shoulder. The picture she made was breath taking. Then she turned her head and smiled at him; he had to remind himself to breath.

"Ranger, do you think you could get her bottle out of the fridge and put it in the warmer. It's on the counter."

He nodded and left the bathroom without speaking because the lump in his throat made it impossible for him to respond. He retrieved the bottle and set it in the warmer, listening to Stephanie making mommy sounds in the bedroom. Stephanie cooed and talked to Corrina the whole time she was drying and dressing the baby.

The timer went off on the warmer; he took the bottle to the couch to wait for them to finish in the bedroom. Stephanie came into the living room carrying Corrina, who made happy noises and patted Stephanie's face. Corrina had one little hand tangled in Stephanie's hair.

Stephanie curled into Ranger's side, reaching to take the bottle from him. She didn't know when he'd turned on the stereo, but soft classical music wafted through the room as she fed the baby. Corrina's head was resting on Ranger's chest, she looked up and smiled around the nipple of her bottle at him, milk dribbling out the side of her mouth. Stephanie smiled with contentment as he wiped Corrina's mouth with a cloth.

It wasn't long until Corrina's eyes drifted shut. Stephanie stood to place Corrina in her carrier just as the intercom buzzed announcing Valerie's arrival and the end to their adventures in babysitting.

Ranger watched as Stephanie closed the door behind her sister and turned back to face him. She had a gleam in her eyes; he knew he was about to have some fun. She stalked towards him; he let her back him against the wall. She placed her hands on his chest and ran them up his already twitching muscles. Fire hummed through his veins and his heart quickened at her touch.

She brought her mouth up the side of his neck, placing open mouthed kisses along the chocolaty skin. When her mouth reached his ear, she breathed the words he said to her long ago, "Pay up time."

Ranger growled, scooped her up and carried her to their bedroom. He had them both stripped in a blink of an eye. They melted into each other, falling onto the bed with a slight bounce. Ranger wanted to touch every inch of her skin. With light strokes, he ran his hands over her legs, tracing circles behind her knees where he knew she was most sensitive.

She lay on her side and watched with growing arousal as Ranger worshiped her body with his hands. She moaned out loud as he made a path to the cheeks of her ass. His fingertips were light as they continued their journey to her lower back, then upwards to her arms, settling finally at her neck. She didn't think she could be more aroused than she was in that moment. She was drowning in the depth of his eyes.

When he had her limp and quivering, he leaned down and whispered seductively, "Now it's time for your massage." He loved the shocked look that appeared in her eyes. "I'm a man of my word. I made a deal and I plan on keeping it."

She was nearly to tears as he massaged her inner muscles with his fingers and then used his tongue. She'd had so many orgasms at this point, that she wasn't sure she remembered her own name. All she could do was mindlessly murmur his name and plead with him. For what she was begging for, she wasn't quite sure. Finally, he put her out of her misery by entering her with one long, powerful stroke.

He placed his hands on the sides of her face, asking with a plea in his voice, "Look at me, Babe. Your eyes are so beautiful when you cum."

She opened her eyes and was startled by the intensity she saw reflected back at her. They moved together in love and passion. He took her hands in his as they went over the edge at the same time.

He lay there playing with her curls without a care or thought in his head when she turned to him.

"Let's get dressed and go home. I want to spend the rest of the weekend at our house."

He understood. When they were at their house, it was as if they were back at the cabin, secluded and in their own world. They both got up and started gathering items to take with them. They kept most of their clothes at the apartment, but had a separate wardrobe for the house. The only items that they really carried back and forth were some of Stephanie's cosmetics and her birth control.

He walked into the bathroom where she was standing with the packet of pills in her hand, staring intently at them. He walked up behind her. Their eyes met in the mirror before he turned her to face him. He lifted her easily, placing her on the counter. She looked at the pills again and then back at him.

The package of pills was a new one. She was supposed to punch out the first pill today. When she moved her hand to get the pill out, his hand covered hers, stopping the movement. Their eyes met, silently communicating that they were both ready to take this huge step in their relationship. With no words and hands clasped tightly, they tossed the packet into the trash can.

Ranger brought his hands up to cup her face. "Let's let nature take its course. No pressure, no worries. When it happens, it happens. I want this, Babe. Do you?"

Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she nodded. His mouth covered hers and they were lost in each other again. It was several pleasurable hours later before they finally made it out of the apartment and towards their home.


	9. Chapter 9

****It seems that my muse left for a short vacation. I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint…..it's probably because I threw this chapter into the mix because I didn't want to do the Christmas chapter until it was closer to Christmas.

_Ranger brought his hands up to cup her face. "Let's let nature take its course. No pressure, no worries. When it happens, it happens. I want this, Babe. Do you?" _

_Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she nodded. His mouth covered hers and they were lost in each other again. It was several pleasurable hours later before they finally made it out of the apartment and towards their home._

Chapter 9

"Taking Care"

Ranger lay in bed and thought about how crazy the last few weeks had been. It seemed that half of his staff had come down with the dreaded N1H1. Both Stephanie and he had spent every waking moment taking care of the sick and covering duties for RangeMan. Then in their spare time, what little there was of it, they'd shopped for Christmas gifts and put up their tree. It had been exhausting and comforting at the same time. To have someone to share in the burden of running RangeMan, we it hadn't been something he'd factored into the marriage equation.

It made him smile thinking of how easily Stephanie had stepped into the role of not only his wife, but his partner. Stephanie had helped Ella with changing bedding, providing doses of medicine to keep the fevers down and deliver meals to the sick. When she'd finish with that, then she'd come down to the fifth floor and either take a shift on the monitors or help him with paper work. Whenever Ranger had to go out, he'd felt completely at ease with leaving her in charge. Tank was usually his second in command, but the flu had taken the big man down hard.

Since they were planning for a baby, Stephanie had decided to give up bounty hunting. It had surprised him, but he couldn't say that he wasn't pleased. Of course, everyone had pestered her about her reasons for quitting at Vinnie's. But, she'd just smiled and said, 'I'm going to work for Batman. What more could a girl want?' Lula and Connie certainly hadn't questioned that answer.

It was three days until Christmas and Ranger knew she really wanted to go shopping today. He planned to surprise her by taking the day off and going with her. She'd given up so much of her time to pitch in and help him that he felt he owed her a day, and if she wanted to spend the day at the mall, then so be it.

He looked at the clock and wondered what had woken him. The glowing red lights flashed 3:30 on the alarm clock. He turned his head when Stephanie moaned in her sleep. He figured that was the reason he found himself awake so early. She was curled in a tight ball and shivering slightly. He frowned, hoping like hell she hadn't gotten the flu right before Christmas. With N1H1, a minimum quarantine of five days was being recommended by health professionals. He pressed his hand to her forehead and was relieved when it felt cool to the touch.

Ranger shifted onto his side, reaching out to turn on the lamp and get a better look at her. When he turned back, he saw that the sheet had fallen to her hip, revealing the evidence of her discomfort.

He shook her shoulder lightly, "Babe, you need to get up."

She moaned again before replying with her husky morning voice, "I'm not going running this morning. I'll get enough exercise shopping today."

"Babe, you've got to get up. You've….um…_started_ and need to change your clothes." He tried to not sound disappointed that she wasn't pregnant, but it took some effort. Guess he didn't have Batman sperm after all.

When his words registered, she bolted upright in bed with a horrified expression on her face. "This is so embarrassing. I haven't bled through on the sheets since I started taking birth control." At that moment, it dawned on her that she wasn't pregnant. She felt the disappointment like a stab in the chest with a knife. She raced off towards the bathroom, just needing a few minutes alone to collect herself.

She stripped the soiled clothes and stepped into the shower. When she emerged nearly twenty minutes later, she found that Ranger had put a clean pair of panties and one of his t-shirts on the bathroom counter. As she dried her body and pulled on her clothes, a few tears made their way down her cheeks. Stephanie tried to reason herself out of her sadness. The doctor had told her that it might take several months for her to get pregnant, since she'd been taking birth control for so long. Even still, she couldn't help the disappointment that swamped her.

Ranger stripped the sheets and put clean ones back on while he waited for Stephanie to get out of the shower. He knew he shouldn't feel this let down, but he did. Stephanie had explained to him that it may take a while for her to become pregnant. She'd been on birth control for years and her body would have to make adjustments before she'd be able to conceive. It was logical, but difficult to wait now that they'd decided they wanted to start a family. Hopefully, after New Years, while they were on their honeymoon trip, she'd relax and it would happen. The stress of the past few weeks hadn't been easy on either of them. This trip was going to do them both a lot of good and maybe when they came home, there'd be a baby on board. Ranger decided to focus on the goal.

When she came back to the bedroom, he noticed the tearstains on her cheeks, the discomfort evident in her eyes. She held her hand against her lower abdomen in obvious pain. Ranger helped settle Stephanie back into bed. Then he went to retrieve a heating pad and some Midol from the medicine cabinet. After she swallowed the pills, he climbed back in bed with her, smoothing the covers over them both.

"Babe, I know you're disappointed. I am, too. But, remember what we talked about, it'll happen when it happens. There's no hurry for us to conceive. When the time is right, we'll have a baby." He pulled her close him, putting his fingers to work with a gentle massage to her cramped stomach muscles.

She felt comforted cocooned in his arms. "It's okay. I thought I'd just get pregnant right away. Uggh, now I remember why I started taking the pill in the first place. These are the cramps from hell." She felt Ranger go stiff for a minute then relax. "What is it? You stiffened up."

"It's nothing."

Immediately, she knew he was lying. "Yes it is. We promised to be honest with each other." She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, confused by his reaction and then his dismissal of the subject.

Ranger could never lie to her. "Babe, I guess I always thought that you got on the pill because of Morelli. Sorry, this shouldn't matter to me and I don't know why it bothered me."

Stephanie smiled at him; she was starting to see where this conversation was going. "No, I always made Morelli wear a condom."

He turned her more towards him so that he could get a better look at her. One look at her easily read face and he knew she was telling the truth. "Why? You guys were together for a long time. And you never asked me to wear a condom."

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed loudly. "This isn't really a conversation I ever wanted to have, but since you asked, I'll tell you. I never trusted Morelli enough. I knew he played it loose and I just didn't think that I wanted to take the chance of catching something from him."

Ranger thought about her words for a minute, analyzing and processing this new information. He couldn't even begin to explain the effect her words had on him. "Babe, there are no words for what it means to me that you trusted me. I'm humbled by the faith you always seem to put in me."

She smiled and snuggled against his chest, "Always Batman. Besides I couldn't imagine having anything between us when we make love." She felt him hard and ready against her bottom. "But…..there won't be any of that…bareback or otherwise for the next five days or so."

His soft laugh bubbled out, because he knew her strong feelings regarding sex during her time of the month. "Go back to sleep, Babe. Maybe when you wake up the next time, the medicine and heating pad will have done their job. I hate seeing you in pain." He kissed her head and caressed her stomach until he heard her breathing level out. He smiled at this new knowledge. It was an ego thing, of that he was sure, but knowing that he was the only one she'd allowed unprotected sex with made him feel….honored.

* * *

She awoke several hours later alone. The cramps had lessened and she rolled to her side to get out of bed. That's when she saw the note lying on bedside table. She smiled at Ranger's thoughtfulness. He always left a note if he had to go out while she was sleeping. She picked up the note and read.

_Babe – Had to go out after a skip. I was hoping to go shopping with you today. If I'm not back by the time you get ready to go, I'll catch up with you. Maybe we could catch a movie when you're done. I love you, mi amore._

_R_

Stephanie lay back on her pillow, pressing the note to her chest. She couldn't think of a more considerate husband than hers. She finally decided to get up and get ready for a day of shopping. She was surprised that Ranger was volunteering for a day at the mall. She knew it wasn't on the top of his favorite activities list. She bit back a scream when she saw her hair. Maybe she shouldn't have washed it when she'd showered earlier, wet hair and sleep didn't mix. Deciding that a brush wasn't going to do anything with her rat's nest, she jumped back in the shower.

* * *

She'd been shopping for several hours when she decided to rest her sore puppies by sitting down on the bench in front of Macy's. She felt a slight tingle on the back of her neck and the hairs on her arms stood on end. _Ranger._

"Babe, did you buy out the entire mall?" He brushed the hair off her neck so he could place a kiss to the exposed skin as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She smiled and felt herself go soft at the public display of affection. Several passing shoppers stumbled as they gawked at her handsome husband. "Nope, just half of it."

Ranger scooped up the bags as if they weighed nothing and pulled her up from the bench. "C'mon, I want to go in my favorite store."

Victoria Secret's had been left to last on her list for this very purpose. She gave him a smug look as he tugged her towards the store. They spent hours picking out skimpy underwear and lingerie for her to wear. She was surprised to notice that Ranger looked tired, but he denied feeling bad when she asked if he was feeling alright.

He took her to Outback where she gorged herself on cheese fries and shrimp on the Barbie. He wasn't the least bit surprised when she still ordered popcorn and Milk Duds at the theater.

"Babe, easy on the butter. I can see you're arteries clogging from here." He laughed at her usual eye roll.

"Ranger, we rarely get the opportunity to just loaf around and act like normal people. Besides, it's not like I eat this way every day anymore. If it'll make you feel better, I'll run an extra mile with you in the morning."

He nearly rolled his eyes before he caught himself. "Make it two and we have a deal." He smiled at her horrified expression.

They settled into the large comfy chairs of the stadium style theater, as the opening scene of New Moon filled the large screen. He held her hand and seemed perfectly content to watch the movie, even though she was sure it wouldn't have been his first or last choice. As she sat and watched the triangle unfold, she couldn't help but make the comparison to her own life. She tightened her grip on his hand, thanking her lucky stars that she'd finally found her way out of the unhealthy pattern that had been her life just a few short months ago.

When the lights came on, she reached up and stretched. That's when she felt something wet and sticky touch her skin. She looked down at her shirt to see a circle of blood. In a panic, she began looking for the source, pulling up her shirt slightly to examine her skin. Nothing. That's when she saw it.

"What the hell? Ranger what happened?" she asked frantically pulling up his shirt. There was a bandage attached to his side, soaked through with his blood.

"Babe, it's just a scratch, nothing to worry about. Skip got a little too close, that's all. Bobby, stitched me up, but it looks like I've pulled some of his work loose. He'll patch me up when we get home." He gently took his shirt from her hands and pulled it back in place, not wanting to make a big deal about it. He'd wanted to enjoy an evening with his wife and hadn't allowed Bobby time to do his job properly.

Stephanie huffed, "You should have told me. We could've gone home and maybe you wouldn't be bleeding like a stuck pig all over the movie theater."

He kissed her pouting lips, "Babe."

She glared at him, "Don't you dare, _Babe_, me. I'm terribly upset with you right now. I knew you felt bad and you brushed me off. If the shoe was on the other foot, you'd be fuming at me right about now. Care to deny it?"

"You're right, Babe. C'mon, let's go home so Bobby can fix me up." Ranger knew she had him and his best course of action was to shut-up before he dug himself an even deeper hole.

By the time they'd made it home, Stephanie was in full blown rhino mode. Bobby met them at the car just as pissed as Stephanie was at Ranger.

"What the hell, Ranger? Can't you take better care of my handiwork? I told you to take it easy." Stephanie had been prepared to lecture Bobby about letting Ranger come to meet her, but his words made it clear that he'd advised Ranger against it.

Ranger sighed, "Bobby, I wanted to be with my Babe. Just stitch me up and quit your bitching. I've already got one wife. I don't need another."

When he saw Stephanie's face, he knew he'd inserted his foot and dug himself a crater sized hole. He opened his mouth to apologize, but she was already stepping into the elevator, pressing the button without looking back. He mumbled, "Sorry, Babe."

Bobby stitched him back up, and then he went to the locker room to change shirts before heading upstairs to eat some serious crow. Ranger knew he'd been a hypocrite. He was always the one who was preaching about safety and taking care of wounds so that they didn't get infected. He'd just been so eager to spend the day with Stephanie that he'd went against his own policy and caused Stephanie to worry about him. He sighed as he rubbed his hand over his face and went to apologize to his wife. He was probably in more trouble for the 'one wife' comment than anything.

He hesitantly entered the apartment. The pile of bags had been delivered, but remained untouched. _Yep, I'm in deep shit if she hasn't even started going through her purchases._ She stood stiffly, looking out the apartment window down at the street.

He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Babe, I'm sorry. I should have told you and I shouldn't have made that comment to Bobby."

She was quiet. Too quiet. He was really starting to worry. It wasn't like her to not rant a little and he'd given her enough fuel to go on a long one. Finally, she surprised him by talking in a soft voice, no angry rant as expected.

"Ranger, when I'm sick or hurt, you always take care of me. I know that you're not used to somebody taking care of you, but you have to allow me to….even if it's just a little. If you don't, I won't feel needed. When we were at the cabin and I took care of you…I don't know…it made me feel like I was giving back a little of what you've always give me." She tried to smother the shake in her voice.

"Babe, I've made a mess of tonight. I didn't mean to make you feel like this. I don't tell you enough what you do for me. Hell, the last several weeks, I wouldn't have made it if it hadn't been for you. You've stepped with ease and grace into not only the role of my wife, but my partner. You take care of me in ways that I never in my wildest dreams imagined." He stopped when she gave him a knowing look. "No, I don't mean like that. Although, _that's_ pretty fucking amazing. I'm talking about the comfort that you bring to my life."

When he saw her smile, he thought he might just have a chance of repairing the night. "Babe, I can't promise that it'll be easy for me to let you take care of me, but I can promise to make an effort to try harder. Honestly, Babe, I never really thought about it. It wasn't painful and certainly not the worst injury I've had. All I really could think about was catching up to you at the mall and spending the day with you. Can you forgive me?"

"Well, when you put it like that, how can I not forgive you?" That's when realization dawned on her that this would be the first time, since they'd returned from the cabin that they wouldn't be able to make love. Between her monthly friend and his injury, they were going to have to make do without sex. Then inspiration struck her with a warm rush. She pulled Ranger towards the couch and pushed him gently to sit at one end. She pulled off his shirt with a little help from him. "Stay."

He chuckled lightly, "What, now I'm your pet?"

She swung her hips as she went to the bedroom, "You bet your sweet ass, you are." She slipped out of her clothes and pulled on one of his black t-shirts then padded back into the living room.

He watched as she got them both a glass of wine from the kitchen before returning to curl up beside him on the couch. She used the remote to turn on the stereo to the sounds of Christmas music. Frank Sinatra crooned 'White Christmas' as they sat comfortably on the couch.

When they'd both finished their wine, she placed their glasses on the coffee table before snuggling into his neck. "Ranger, do you remember when you were a teenager and would just sit on a couch or in a car and neck?"

He knew where she was going with this. Since the cabin, they'd been inseparable and never went a day without making love at least once. He turned her to face him. Their eyes met with that deep understanding that was always present. Slowly, he caressed her lips with his, tasting, savoring.

She moaned at what he could do to her with a simple kiss. For hours, they sat on the couch, necking and caressing, neither of them in a rush or minding that it wouldn't end with their physical release. This was a different kind of making love for them, a new level of intimacy.


	10. Chapter 10

*****In my last submission, I left off my disclaimer and a very special thank you. Chapter 9 was a mess and I almost scrapped the entire thing. However, the best beta in the world, Angie, took the chapter and worked her magic until it was a chapter that we could both be very proud of. So, you can all give your thanks to her brilliance in making something out of nothing. I don't own anything and am not making any money.**

_She moaned at what he could do to her with a simple kiss. For hours, they sat on the couch, necking and caressing, neither of them in a rush or minding that it wouldn't end with their physical release. This was a different kind of making love for them, a new level of intimacy._

Chapter 10

"Tis the Season"

Ranger and Stephanie walked through the door of the apartment after a taxing and tiring day of celebration. Christmas Eve morning had begun at his parent's house, where they had celebrated Christmas with a late breakfast. The flurry of activity, which descended upon the Manoso household, had been filled with warmth and joy.

Tears of joy threatened ever time Stephanie thought of his mother's gift to her. Maria had given Stephanie a framed calligraphy painting of their name. In bold black strokes, the name 'Manoso' had been painted on a red background. Inscribed into the details had been the meaning of the name, 'skillful'. Other words had been woven into the word. Joy, love, family and peace had been joined with both Stephanie and Carlos. Stephanie knew this was Maria's way of showing her that she was accepted into the family. It meant a great deal to her.

After celebrating with Ranger's family, they had gone to Stephanie's parent's house to have a traditional Christmas meal. Angie, Mary Alice and Lisa bounced off the walls with excitement. Stephanie was glad that they'd enjoyed the gifts that she and Ranger had gotten them. The flurry of activity and socializing had been fun, but exhausting. Stephanie could hardly keep her eyes open as they walked through the door.

"Babe, let's go to sleep so we can get up early and celebrate Christmas before going down to the control room for monitor duty."

She leaned into him as they walked towards the bedroom. Even though it was only nine o'clock, Stephanie knew she wouldn't last much longer. The madness that so often happened while visiting the Plums was thankfully absent. It was still crazy, with the girls and Grandma Mazur, that was a given; but everyone had fun and shared many laughs. Now that they'd arrived back at the apartment, the exhaustion had set in. Stephanie could hardly keep her eyes open as they walked through the door.

"Babe, let's go to sleep so we can get up early and celebrate Christmas before going down to the control room for monitor duty."

She leaned into him as they walked towards the bedroom. Even though it was only nine o'clock, Stephanie knew she wouldn't last much longer. The day had been full of many great times, but now all of her energy reserves were zapped, even the abundance of sugar she consumed couldn't keep her awake. In the bathroom, Stephanie stripped off her make-up and changed into her red satin nightgown, which had magically appeared on the hook on the bathroom door. Ella, she assumed had been at work. She smiled at her thoughtfulness.

Ranger knew Stephanie was tired and he wouldn't normally go to bed this early, but it was Christmas Eve and he just wanted to hold his wife. Even if it meant, spending another night with a perpetual hard on. Plus, it was going to be a long day tomorrow, since it would be only him, Stephanie and Tank manning the control room. Several others were going to be on call in case of an emergency, but it would just be the three of them in the building until two. Ranger smiled as he thought of getting up early and opening presents with Stephanie. _Their first Christmas. He couldn't believe they'd been married nearly six months._ He shook his head and smiled at the thought.

The lights were low and she climbed into bed, sliding a leg over Ranger's and rubbing her foot up and down over the soft hair that covered his leg. She heard Ranger's intake of breath.

"I thought you were tired?" He asked hesitantly as his wife's hand began to snake its way down his torso.

She smiled at her husband's reaction to her touch. Stephanie could feel the covers move slightly at the twitching of his impressive erection. "I was. Now I'm not."

She giggled when he flipped them over and began tugging, to free her of her nightgown. It didn't take much for them to be completely naked and Ranger poised at her entrance.

"Mio Dios, Babe. You've turned me into a complete nympho."

Their lovemaking was playful and fun as they frolicked in bed. It wasn't until they were almost climaxing that they turned serious eyes on each other, both breathing 'I love you' at the peak that always joined them as one.

He knew she'd be asleep before he came out of the bathroom. She'd been tired and he should have let her sleep. He smiled smugly. He couldn't help it. Stephanie's insatiable appetite in the bedroom thrilled him beyond belief. Before climbing in bed, he went to the living room to set everything up for Christmas morning. That's when he noticed the snow. He immediately started rummaging around in the coat closet for gloves and sock hats to use in the morning. He couldn't wait to show Stephanie the view of a snow covered Trenton from the roof of the RangeMan building.

He sighed, when he climbed back in bed, as Stephanie immediately turned into his body, she threw one arm over his stomach and entwined her leg between his. Ranger instantly hardened at her touch. _It was going to be another long night; would this woman always have this effect on him?_

He felt as if he'd just fallen asleep when a gentle shaking at his shoulders woke him. He frowned. it wasn't like his Babe to be awake before him. Blinking his eyes, her beauty swam into view. "What are you doing up at…," he looked at the clock and nearly choked at the time, "three in the morning."

She smiled wide with her eyes twinkling. "It's Christmas morning. You have to get up early on Christmas morning! Besides, we have to be on monitors by six and I want to have time to….um…exchange gifts."

He growled and rolled them, effectively pinning her. "You want to 'exchange gifts'." He kissed her then languorously slow, putting all the emotion he was feeling into the slide of his tongue on hers. He couldn't put into words what it meant to him to wake up on Christmas morning with her, so he decided to show her at his side. When he pulled back, he smiled at her lust-glazed eyes. "Gift one."

"Mmmm. And what a gift it was. C'mon, let's go 'exchange gifts' by the tree." Ranger let her up and she slid on her nightgown that had been discarded last night and while he put on a robe. She watched as he belted the black silk robe and slid on his silk pants. _Mmmm, she'd never get tired of looking at her husband._

Ranger paused when he saw the look she gave him and returned it with a questioning look of his own. She stood, warring with herself for a minute, before shaking her head and turning to go to the bathroom. While she was occupied he went to the living room to turn on the Christmas tree lights and lit the candles he'd sat out the night before. He arranged a blanket and some pillows on the floor then turned on the stereo to some Christmas music.

He heard the coffee maker finish its' last gurgle signaling that their coffee was ready. He went to the kitchen and fixed them both a cup of coffee, making hers just the way she liked it. It didn't look much like coffee when he was done. He smiled when he remembered her explanation of how she liked her coffee. She'd said, 'I like my coffee like I like my men. Mocha Latte_._' _She was definitely one of a kind._

With her morning ritual complete, she headed toward the sound of Bing Crosby belting out 'I'll be home for Christmas.' She sighed at the heavenly sight that greeted her. The candles and tree were the only illumination in the room; her husband stood by the tree, holding his hand out to her.

She covered the distance that separated them with a full heart. "Merry Christmas, Husband."

He trailed a finger down her face before kissing her on the forehead. "Merry Christmas, Wife."

They snuggled down on the pillows and blankets, they kissed and petted each other before Ranger finally pulled away, retrieving his first gift. They'd both decided on only three gifts, just like the first Christmas. He knew Stephanie was going to like his first one as he watched her tear the paper with the excitement of a child.

"Oh, my." She sighed breathlessly. Stephanie couldn't take her eyes off the pictures that were framed in elegant pewter. She remembered the night they had posed for the picture in front of the Christmas tree, wearing their matching red silk robes. She hadn't realized after the first picture that the camera had continued to snap their image. Quite frankly, she'd been a bit preoccupied. The frame encompassed an 8X10 photo of which they had posed. The others however looked like they were telling a story. A love story. Each of the remaining photo's were 4X6' and made a circle around the larger one. Stephanie took in the photos in awe, as each one became more sensual. There was one of them gazing into each other's eyes, with Ranger's hand on her face and another of them with their foreheads touching as they savored each other's presence. The next picture was taken after Ranger had slid her robe to the side to kiss her shoulder. Each picture became more and more seductive until the last picture where they had both lost their robes and were locked in a kiss that she knew had led to the bedroom. She shivered as she remembered passion from that night. Stephanie looked at Ranger, knowing that her eyes were dark with desire, which she saw reflected back at her.

"I love it, Ranger! I know the perfect place for it, our bedroom. I want it where we can be reminded of our love and passion before going to bed at night and when we wake up, it'll be the first thing we see every morning." Stephanie quickly brushed away the tear that had escaped and retrieved Ranger's first gift.

Ranger opened her gift as quickly as she had his. She leaned over his shoulder and turned on the digital photo frame. They both watched as another story was revealed, one of their romance from the beginning.

"Babe, how did you get all of these pictures?" He couldn't believe how many there were of them just gazing into each other's eyes.

"Bobby, Lester, Tank and Hal all helped me. Hal ran a search on the back log surveillance cameras and the other's pulled photos from their phones that they'd snapped during various takedowns."

Ranger watched the slide show with amazement. He had known all along that he'd been in love with her since he first met her, but to see the love reflected back from the beginning in her eyes too was surprising. Why had he'd ignored it for so long? Why hadn't he stopped and _really_ looked at her? "Babe, I love it. This is going on my desk. I want it where I can see it all the time."

They share a quick kiss before deciding to open their second gifts. Stephanie opened what she knew was a jewelry box as she gave Ranger his own jewelry box. They both laughed at their similar thoughts when buying gifts.

Stephanie gasped when she saw the diamond slider bracelet. Two of the stones had been replaced with their birthstones. "Ranger, it's beautiful."

Ranger took the bracelet from her and helped her fasten it to her wrist. "Babe, when we have children, some more of the diamonds can be removed and replaced with their birthstones. Then those diamonds can then be made into earrings." He could tell that she loved it.

Stephanie watched as he opened his gift, knowing he would be surprised. He pulled out the silver key chain that had both their initials entwined like a lover's embrace, but it was the key dangling from it that had him grinning like a fool. He pulled out the Harley Davidson brochure that was under the key and started thumbing through it.

"Babe, you shouldn't have."

He was grinning wide, so she knew he didn't mean it. "Well, when you didn't buy it with your share of the bond money, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Besides, it'll be fun riding together."

Ranger had her flipped and lying flat on the blankets under them in a blink of an eye. "You want to….ride…with ….me?" He didn't let her answer as he covered her mouth with his. Ranger groaned when she flexed her hips into him. If she didn't stop, they'd never finish opening their last gift.

"Ranger, if you don't stop, we'll never get to the last gift." She smiled coyly at him, knowing that it was taking the last of his restraint to pull away and retrieve the last two boxes.

They both opened their gifts at the same time. Stephanie gawked at the pamphlet that lay nestled in the paper. It was her dream car. "Holy Cow! You got me the Lexus SC 10! Ranger, you know I'll just blow it up, right?"

Ranger threw back his head and laughed. "Babe, it's just a car. Besides, I've had Al working on some sensors that will help with that little problem. When you do something for RangeMan, you can still take one of the trucks. I just thought this little ride would be fun for both of us when we take a road trip."

Stephanie could see he was as excited about riding with the top down as she was. She watched as he took out the leather jacket she'd bought him to match his new bike. She couldn't wait to see him in it with maybe some leather pants. _He, He_. By his frown, she gathered that he must have been ESPing her.

"Babe, I'm not wearing leather pants." He pulled her up from the blankets and into his embrace, moving her body in rhythm to the soft music wafting through the room.

Stephanie saw the smoldering look in his eyes and was sure that hers was similar. He untied her robe and it slid down her body with a whisper of sound. She moaned low in her throat as he slid his finger under the spaghetti strap of her nightgown, moving it aside to press open mouthed kisses up her shoulder. He moved the other strap off her shoulder and let the material slide off her body, leaving her completely naked before him.

Ranger scooped Stephanie up in his arms, then bent to lay her down before removing his own robe and sleep pants. He smiled smugly as she glanced at his hard member standing proud. He eased down beside her and pulled her close, hugging her with a sweetness that belied the passion he was feeling.

When she got as close as she could, their bodies touching at every point, she leaned in close to his ear, making sure he could feel her breath as she breathed his name. She felt him shiver, loving his reaction to her.

He groaned when her breath touched the sensitive skin of his ear. He wanted to take things slow…..seduce her. But, she always snapped his control with the slightest of touches. Deciding turnabout was fair play. He drug his fingertips lightly across the delicate skin of her hip. When her head lolled back and her breathing became erratic, his only thought was, m_ine!_

Sliding his tongue up her torso, he murmured against her skin, "I love the taste of your skin." He was thrilled when she gave a small gasp, as he tongued her pert nipple. Using his tongue and fingers, he played her like a fiddle until she was begging him to enter her. Ranger was happy to oblige her.

Ranger rolled them until he was positioned above her hot center. He teased her entrance with his cock as she flexed her hips against him. She was already dripping wet, so he plunged inside her heat. _Nirvana_. He grasped her hands as his body began to pulled out, then dive back in using slow, steady strokes.

Hanging on by a thread, Stephanie knew she was about to go over the edge and wanted to Ranger to join her. She dug her heels into his buttocks urging him on. "Ranger….faster….harder," she panted.

She didn't have to ask him twice. He sped up his strokes, going deeper with each one. "Like this, Babe……Is this how you want it? Hard and fast?"

"Yessss…" White blinding light flashed and she arched her back trying to get closer to feel more of him. She felt him stiffen and then cry out her name in bliss. He pumped in out a few more times, prolonging their orgasms, before collapsing on top of her.

Laying there trying to get their breath, Stephanie smiled a shit eating grin. "I liked the last gift the best of all."

Ranger rose up on one elbow, "You think that's the last gift? Give me a minute. I think there's one more for you…in the shower."

The smug grin that he wore didn't bother her a bit, because he was hers. She laughed, "Is this the gift that keeps on giving?"

Now it was Ranger's turn to laugh. "If we didn't have to work today, I think it would be." Ranger helped her up and they moved their fun to the shower.

* * *

Ranger left her in the bathroom to finish her morning ritual. There was a soft rapping on the door. Tank. He opened the door for him, hoping he'd found someplace open to get them all breakfast.

Tank walked through the door rattling the brown bag containing their breakfast. He stopped took a deep breath. "Ahhh…I love the smell of sex in the morning."

"Oh, shit! Stephanie will have my hide if she knows I let you in without picking up. Don't you say a fucking word about it man. You know how private she is about this stuff."

Tank chuckled as Ranger set about picking up blankets and pillows. "Relax man, my lips are sealed."

Ranger scowled at him, knowing at first opportunity he'd tease her about it. He put the blankets in the clothes basket to deal with later. Peeking in the bathroom, he found Stephanie with her toothbrush in her mouth.

"Babe, Tanks here with some breakfast. Dress warm. There's something I want to show you before we go to the control room." She spit and gave him a curious look.

"He didn't bring tofu did he? I'm not eating that crap."

He smiled at her disgruntled look. "Guess you'll just have to find out for yourself."

She growled at his retreating back. He shook his head and smiled wider thinking about his wife's passion for junk food. It's a good thing that his men knew her well.

After she'd scarfed down two heart attacks on a bun, she took a breath and asked, "So what's up? Why are we just sitting here nearly thirty minutes before work?"

Tank ruffled her hair. "Bomber, we've got a surprise for you and since you've been such a sport about working today, Ranger's going to give you a piggy back ride up the stairs."

Stephanie was surprised when his large hands spanned her waist and he lifted her up onto Ranger's back. "What are you up to?"

As she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, he replied, "Giving my girl a ride."

They made their way out the door. Stephanie had to ask, "Am I your girl?"

"You were this morning….twice." He laughed at her playful swat.

"Yeah, well, I could've been your girl a third time, but for some reason we're going to the roof instead." She'd never understand men. Ranger was passing up morning sex for a trip to the roof, when it was freezing outside! She was still contemplating the trip when she it really sunk in that her husband was giving her a piggy back ride so she wouldn't have to walk up the steep steps that led to the roof. Awww…his romantic side always made her heart go pitter pat.

When Tank opened the door leading to the rooftop, her heart really did burst with the romantic gesture. He stepped out onto the snow covered roof and eased her down to her feet.

"Oh, Ranger. It's beautiful!" She could see the entire downtown of Trenton which was lit up with Christmas lights and everything was covered with fresh white snow. The sight was more picturesque than any painting she'd ever seen.

"Well, guys, I've seen this view before. I'll be leaving you two to it and see you downstairs. Merry Christmas, Bomber, Ranger."

As Tank retreated from the lovely scene, both Ranger and Stephanie bid him a Merry Christmas. Ranger positioned Stephanie in front of him, wrapping his arms around her to ward off the cold.

"I love you more than life itself, you know."

Staring off into the winter wonderland, Stephanie was a bit startled by Ranger's declaration. Sure, during sex and before going to bed, he always told her he loved her, but it was uncommon for him to say it otherwise.

"What's this? Getting all sentimental on me?"

Ranger moved her hair aside to press warm kisses against her neck. "No. I just can't help but think that this is all a little too perfect. So far, our marriage has been like this perfect winter scene in front of us. Before long, a car comes and drives tracks through it, marring it's beauty. I just hope that our love can withstand all the traffic."

Stephanie understood what he was saying. Turning from the beauty of the city cast in snow, she took Ranger's face in her gloved hands. "Ranger, I've trusted you from the first day I met you. I know I had a case of hero worship going for a long time. But beneath it all, I loved you for who you are. You may have scared me a little bit, but I think that was more about me guarding my heart than anything else. I love you more now than I've ever loved anybody in my entire life, completely and without reservation. We'll stand the test, whenever it comes."

Her reminder of her wedding vow to him made him smile as he took her mouth in a passionate kiss. Against her lips, he replied softly, "Thanks. You always know what I need to hear." He pressed another light peck to her lips. "Now come on, Mrs. Manoso, we've got a company to run."

Bumping his hip with hers, she teased, "Slave driver." She loved to hear his laughter and lately she'd gotten to hear a lot of it.

Teasing her back, he whispered in her ear as they entered the stairwell. "Oh, I can be a slave master alright, just wait till we get off shift."

With weak knees, she entered the control room. "Jeez, what do you have to do that right before going to work?"

"It's all about anticipation. We don't have to work all day, you know. Want to find out more about the gift that keeps on giving?"

_Holy hot flash!_ An entire day and night, with her husband all to herself was an image she could definitely get into.


	11. Chapter 11

******I don't know where exactly my muse went off to, but maybe that's her pounding on my skull. If it's just a figment of my imagination, I'm terribly sorry. I know it's been awhile and thank you for waiting patiently, but Real Life has been kicking my butt. The muse has been on hiatus and I really hope this is her??? Hope you all had a great a New Year as Stephanie and Ranger. Thanks Angie, for worrying about me and being a great friend and beta.**

_Teasing her back, he whispered in her ear as they entered the stairwell. "Oh, I can be a slave master alright, just wait till we get off shift."_

_With weak knees, she entered the control room. "Jeez, what do you have to do that right before going to work?" _

"_It's all about anticipation. We don't have to work all day, you know. Want to find out more about the gift that keeps on giving?"_

_Holy hot flash! An entire day and night, with her husband all to herself was an image she could definitely get into._

Chapter 11

"Honeymoon – Part 1"

"Ella? What are the suitcases doing on the bed?" Stephanie saw the mischievous smile that played on Ella's face as she came out of the bathroom holding her cosmetic bag.

"Stephanie dear, you weren't supposed to be back from your mom's for another hour. Oh, dear. I guess the cat's out of the bag. Ranger asked me to pack for your honeymoon. You're leaving after lunch. Now, shoo. I've got to get finished and I don't want Ranger to know your surprise is spoiled." She was just finishing her ramblings when they both heard a throat cleared from the bedroom door.

Stephanie and Ella turned with embarrassed looks on their faces. "Too late. It's okay Ella. I was going to tell her when she came home for lunch." Ranger leaned against the door jam and smiled at their surprised faces.

"We're leaving on New Years Eve?" She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but the last thing she wanted to be doing was traveling while the New Year rolled in.

"Babe, we're only going to be traveling for a few hours before the first stop. You don't honestly think that I'd have you several thousand miles in the air when we celebrated our first New Year's together." He pulled her out of the bedroom and away from Ella's inquiring eyes. Once in the kitchen, he pinned her to the bar with his lower body.

"Mmmmm…keep that up and we'll be staying in this apartment for our entire honeymoon." He laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

"Babe, eat the sandwich Ella fixed and then we'll be on our way."

"Ranger, what if she doesn't pack everything I want. Aren't you going to even give me a hint about our travel plans?" She'd been trying to get it out of him ever since he told her that they were leaving in the next few days to start their honeymoon. Even though she was married now, her curiosity hadn't lessened; especially where her husband was concerned.

"Nope, each leg of our journey is going to be a surprise. Don't worry about what Ella packed. She's taken care of everything that we'll need. Besides, Trenton isn't the only place in the world with a mall or retail store." He wound a curl tight around his finger and used it to tug her closer, so he could brush a kiss across her pouty lips. When he pulled back, he wasn't sure if the glazed look she sported was because of his kiss or the fact that she was going to get to go shopping while on their honeymoon. Whichever, it didn't matter to him as long as he pleased her.

* * *

As she slid into her new dress, she thought about how extraordinary the day had been. Ranger had driven them to New York where he'd booked them a room at The Plaza. Then he'd escorted her about town to the most prestigious boutiques where they'd selected formal clothes for the evening he'd planned.

After shopping, he'd taken her to a spa, where they had a couples massage. Then he'd disappeared while she'd received the 'works' in beauty treatments. When she'd been waxed, buffed and coiffed, for nearly two hours, he returned to escort her to their suite.

Now she stood in the dressing room finishing up getting dressed while he dressed in the bedroom. She slid into the red strapless gown that hugged her body like a second skin. It had been the first one she'd tried on and had giggled when Ranger, who sat in one of the chairs outside the dressing room, waited patiently while she modeled. He'd motioned for her to turn. After her slow spin, he'd turned his head to the sales clerk and said, 'We'll take it.'

With her matching four inch FMP's on, she took one last look in the mirror before heading out to take a look at how her husband was dressed for their evening. As always, there was that slam of lust and love that fisted into her stomach at the sight of him. At her slow perusal of him, he paused in brushing his pants legs with a lint roller. Stephanie grimaced at what was tangled around the roller. Her hair. "Sorry, that's the price of long hair. It's more noticeable when you lose some of it."

He tossed the lint roller over his shoulder and walked with the stealth of a panther towards her. Quick as a snake, he had an arm wrapped around her, then with a snappy jerk of his forearm, her body molded to his. "If that's the price, then I'll gladly pay it. I love your hair, and yet, every chance you get, you pile it on top of your head and out of my reach."

She grinned at his fake pout. "I thought you enjoyed watching me let my hair down." Stephanie thought about purring as he nuzzled her neck and nibbled his way along her shoulder.

"Sí. Me encanta cuando te pones tu cabello hacia abajo, pero también me encanta cuando te pones arriba y me pongo a ver lo toma hacia abajo. Me encanta ver como su pelo derrames temerariamente sobre sus hombros y le pasa los dedos a través de él, dándole un alborotado. Me gusta especialmente cuando hacemos el amor y cae como una cortina alrededor de la cara como nos besamos. Ni siquiera puedo empezar a describir lo que hace a mí cuando los rizos gloriosa cepillo mis muslos como el arco hacia atrás mientras montaba mi polla. Y todo eso es sólo el comienzo de todas las maneras en que me encanta tu pelo. Probablemente podría continuar toda la noche con las formas en que me encanta tu pelo.."

_Translation: Yes. I love when you wear your hair down, but I also love it when you wear it up and I get to watch you take it down. I love to watch as your hair spills recklessly over your shoulders and you run your fingers through it, giving it a tousle. I especially love it when we make love and it falls like a curtain around our faces as we kiss. I can't even begin to describe what it does to me when those glorious curls brush my thighs as you arch backwards while riding my dick. And all of that is just the beginning of all the ways in which I love your hair. I could probably continue all night with ways in which I love your hair._

By the end of his little speech, her knees felt as if they'd been filled with Jell-o and she was certain that her panties had gone up in smoke. "I thought it was sexy before I actually knew what you were saying. Now?...Whew, you need to stop that or we'll never leave this hotel room."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, "Would that be such a bad thing? I think I could get into a night of private dancing in a hotel room." He threw his head back and laughed at the look of indecision that crossed her face as she considered his idea. "No, quierda, we're going down to the party. It is in our honor after all." At her shocked look, he grinned. He'd purposely left out that part.

"My partners throw a New Year's bash every year. They thought that since I never brought anyone with me before; and that now I was not only bringing someone, but my wife, it was indeed a reason for celebration." He loved the flabbergasted look on her face. He kissed her nose and hugged her close while swaying with her in a dance. "I can't wait to show off my beautiful wife."

As Ranger turned to finish dressing, his eye caught the magazine that Stephanie had been reading on the plane. _Baby and Me._ "Babe, I was hoping that on our honeymoon that we could just…uh…concentrate on us and having fun. Do you think that it would be okay to shelve any baby talk until we return to Trenton?"

Ranger wasn't sure if he'd said that quite the right way when he noticed her chewing on her bottom lip.

"Do you not want to have a baby anymore?"

_Oh, yeah. He'd definitely stuck his foot in it. _Her crestfallen look was almost more than he could bear. "No, Babe. You misunderstood. I just don't want us worrying about it or having it overshadow our honeymoon." He pulled her back into his embrace and stroked her back. "I only wanted this time to be about you and me…._just you and me, Babe_. It may be the only time we get, for a very long time, once a baby comes into the mix. I also think that if you're not thinking about it non-stop, that you'll relax and….it'll happen."

When she relaxed into his embrace, he knew that he'd finally said the right thing. He pulled back and when she looked up at him with eyes shining with love, he continued. "If you're not pregnant by the time we get back to Trenton, then we'll do the whole thermometer thing if you want."

Stephanie grinned widely as she lightly tapped his chest with the back of her hand. "You have been ready my book. I wondered why the pages weren't turned to where I'd been reading." His feigned innocence wasn't fooling her. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on each side of his face before whispering, "Thanks".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hours later……A_fter dancing, laughing and lots of champagne, Ranger and Stephanie emerged from the elevator giddy and light hearted. It had certainly been an eye opening experience to meet Ranger's partners, especially Elvis. And boy, did he look like Elvis, albeit a young Army Elvis. She'd found out that he was going to RangeMan Trenton to stand in for Ranger during their honeymoon.

When they got to the door of their hotel room, Ranger stopped and turned a serious eye to Stephanie. "It seems that I have been remiss in my husbandly duties." With that he scooped her up and carried her over the threshold of their room. She laughed when he proceeded to carry her out to the balcony. It didn't take her long to realize that this was the reason they'd left the party before midnight.

From their balcony, they had a perfect view for watching the ball drop. "Oh, Ranger, I've always wanted to be in New York on New Year's and see the ball drop."

Ranger was busy kissing her bare shoulders as the countdown began. "Ranger, you're going to miss it!"

"Seen it before, Babe. This is much more interesting. I love the taste of your skin." He laved his way up to the juncture of her neck and nipped her there just as the ball started to drop.

Against her ear, he breathed, "Happy New Year, Stephanie Manoso."

As she felt his hands on her zipper, she said on a husky breath, "Happy New Year, Ranger."

When he had her dress unzipped, he slid his hands into her dress and stroked the satiny skin of her hips as she leaned into his hard chest. Her head lolled back as she let his warmth envelop her. "Take me to bed, husband."

"My pleasure, wife."

Somewhere between the balcony and the bedroom, she'd lost her dress and he was down to just his pants. After he had her lying comfortably on the bed, waiting and wanting, he stood to remove his trousers. "Tomorrow, I'm going to show you the world, but tonight I'm going to take you to heaven."

Stephanie felt the wetness pool between her legs as Ranger crawled up between them pressing wet kisses as he made his way to her heated core. At the touch of his tongue to her nub, she arched and groaned out loud. Grasping the sheets, she screamed as the first orgasm hit.

"That's it baby, come for me again." He helped her along by thrusting his tongue into her and mimicked with his tongue what he planned to do with his cock. When he felt her clenching, he moved his mouth back to her throbbing clit and sucked as the juices flowed from her and into his mouth.

By the time she'd come back to herself, he was settled beside her playing with her hair while resting his head on his hand. "I love to make you come and enjoy drinking your delicious nectar."

His hands began the descent for what she knew was going to be her second trip to heaven. She arched into his touch and wove her hands through his hair as he took an already peaked nipple into his mouth. His humming against her skin increased the erotic sensation of his suckling. When he plunged two fingers into her wetness, her immediate orgasm didn't surprise either of them.

Ranger used his fingers to bring her to orgasm again before he rose above her, positioning the head of his cock at her entrance. Her desire clouded eyes rose to his and he nearly came when she whispered, 'Ti Amo'. He could certainly see why she thought it was erotic when he spoke to her in his native language.

It was always the same, that instant spark along with a sharing of souls. They moved in sync, slow and languidly; their eyes never leaving each other. When they came together, they both shuddered while murmuring each other's name in reverence.

Later and after several rounds of mind blowing orgasms, Stephanie lay sprawled face down on the bed replete with exhaustion. In a groggy voice, she asked, "So, where are you taking me on our honeymoon? Besides heaven, that is?"

He was stroking the skin of her thighs and then cupping the apples of her bottom in a repetitive motion. "Hmmmm…..it's supposed to be a surprise."

Stephanie turned her head to look at him with a smug look. "I could make you talk…..that is, if I had any bones left to move. I'm liquid right now."

It was Ranger's turn to look smug. He knew he'd worked her hard, making her come over and over again. "Since you've been so good not to needle me until now, I'll tell you. We're going to start by going skiing in the Alps. Then we're going to travel around Europe. I'm not telling you all of our stops. I want to leave a little mystery to our journey. The final week, we are going to laze about on a secluded island in the tropics."

Stephanie sighed; he was too good to her.

He saw that her eyelids were drooping as she let out a big yawn. He pulled her against him as she wiggled to get closer. "Sleep, we have a long trip tomorrow."

Ranger was almost asleep himself when he heard her say in a sleepy voice, "Ranger".

"Hmmmm, Babe?"

"You could have taken me anywhere or nowhere and I would have loved it. But, thank you."

Ranger smiled. It was always like that with her. She didn't care about his money or what he could give her with it. That's the reason he wanted to give her the world, simply because she'd never ask. "Night my love."

She sleepily mumbled, "night my heart". He knew by her stillness that she had taken the plunge into dreamland. Lying there cradling her in his arms, he contemplated his life without her and knew without a shadow of a doubt, that it had been empty and void of anything meaningful. As sleep came upon him, he thanked God for the precious gift he'd been given in Stephanie.

_***I'd love to hear from you. I hope that the long wait was worth it._


	12. Chapter 12

*****Disclaimer: I'm not her and she's not me. She's making the dough and I'm having the fun.**

_Ranger smiled. It was always like that with her. She didn't care about his money or what he could give her with it. That's reason he wanted to give her the world. "Night my love."_

_She sleepily mumbled, "Night my heart". He knew by her stillness that she'd taken the plunge into dreamland. Lying there cradling her in his arms, he contemplated his life without her and knew without a shadow of a doubt that it had been empty and void of anything meaningful. As sleep came upon him, he thanked God for the precious gift he'd been given in Stephanie. _

Chapter 12

'Homeward Bound'

They laughed as they bounded hand in hand off RangeMan's private plane. Their emotional high had nothing to do with the looming clouds above and everything to do with the fact that they'd barely gotten dressed in time to buckle their seatbelts for the landing. Their honeymoon had been beyond wonderful and they were still in vacation mode as they headed for the Turbo that sat waiting in the parking lot of the Newark airport. He'd shown her the world alright, Switzerland, Italy, France and Bora Bora. When they reached the car, Ranger spun her around and pinned her against the door.

"I know we have to go back to real life, but I wanted you to know that this is the happiest I've ever been." He saw the sparkle in her eye and knew what she was thinking. He'd be happier.

"Me too and I love the color of my skin. We'll have to go back to Bora Bora soon, but our next trip is going to be my surprise to you." She'd been thinking that Valentine's wasn't too far around the corner and she knew exactly where she wanted to spend it. _Their cabin._

He helped her into the car and started toward Trenton holding her hand as they drove.

"Ranger, do you think that we can make a stop before we go back to the apartment?" She smiled as he squeezed her hand.

"Babe, anywhere you want to go. It's late, but we don't have to be on shift until noon." He was pretty sure he knew where she wanted to go.

As it started to rain, she watched as he let go of her hand to switch on the windshield wipers. When he took her hand again, she told him where she wanted to stop. "There's a Walgreens just off the Trenton exit. Stop there." He just nodded and went into his driving zone.

She couldn't wait to find out for sure. Settling back into her seat, Stephanie closed her eyes and dreamed of their honeymoon. Lazy days were spent sightseeing and hot sultry nights were burned into her brain. Every day they seemed to bring each other to new heights between the sheets, or where ever they found a moment to pleasure each other. In Switzerland, they'd lain before a blazing fire scorching each other's body with intimate touches.

Italy had brought them long walks during the day and romantic nights in their room at the B & B. Breakfast's were spent loving each other into commas. Each morning they struggled with the conflict of going back out to explore the country side or staying in and cuddling on the huge bed filled with goose feathers. Touring usually won out in the end, but they had found a secluded area or two that had allowed them to…um..experiment. She'd never thought of herself as an exhibitionist, but it definitely had an added thrill factor.

The night life had kept them from their hotel room in France. They'd made their way through the night club circuit. Their dancing had been more of a prelude to the sex that they shared once back in their room. Ranger had even taken her to some more illicit clubs. She knew she'd shocked him when she'd suggested they watch one of the 'shows'. Needless to say, that night between the sheets she'd allowed him access to parts of her that she'd always been hesitant to allow him to explore.

In Bora Bora, well that had been her favorite part of the journey, she'd shed all of her inhibitions by lying out topless on their private beach. Ranger had certainly appreciated the view. He'd reciprocated by wearing the black boy shorts she'd purchase for him. Their snug fit reminded her of a Speedo, but with legs that came to mid-thigh. Oh, yeah, they definitely accentuated the perpetual hard-on that he sported throughout the entire honeymoon. Yep. She was definitely one lucky girl.

As he maneuvered the raining streets of Newark, heading towards Trenton, Ranger's thoughts were along the same lines. Stephanie had always been beyond great in bed, but the extent to which she allowed him to explore on their honeymoon had him gripping the steering wheel at the vivid memory.

She'd completely undone him when she'd pulled him towards the 'show' in that club in France. And then what she'd let him do when they'd returned to their hotel room. Holy Shit, it had been erotic as hell seeing her tied to the bed with black, silk scarves. Then when she'd allowed him to turn her over and enter from behind, in that submissive position, the beast had roared up inside him. If he'd had the ability to brand her as his, with some kind of scent or permanent marking, he would have.

Imagine his surprise when she'd been the one to suggest they get matching tattoos, while staying in Bora Bora. He thought of the one at her hip and instantly got hard. They'd both gotten tattoos that were an interlocking loop of their initials, 'R' and 'S'. His was on his shoulder blade in black ink outlined in purple. Hers was just below her protruding hip bone in purple ink outlined in black. The backdrop of her tattoo was the Batman logo and his backdrop was the Wonder Woman symbol. He was surprised at how well they'd turned out.

Ranger pulled into the parking lot and turned to his dozing wife. Brushing her hair back from her face, he kissed her lightly on her brow before trying to wake her. "Babe, we're here."

Blinking her eyes open, Ranger's gorgeous face swam before her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go to sleep on you. I was just going to close my eyes and run through our memories." She liked that he smiled tenderly at her and she knew he'd been thinking the same as her if his dark pupils were any indication.

She shifted and unbuckled her seatbelt while Ranger came around to open her door. Hand in hand they walked into the almost vacant store. Stephanie guided them towards the isle in the store that had what she was looking for.

When Ranger saw the isle full of sanitary products, he had a moment of pause. Maybe she wasn't coming for what he thought. Maybe he had miscalculated, but it'd been two weeks. They'd both been very cautious not to mention it, but now what if he was wrong. No…wait….she wasn't stopping. Ranger squeezed her hand as she reached for what he'd been sure was the reason for this stop.

_EPT First Response._

The both stood for a minute transfixed on the box and then they both looked into each other's eyes. Ranger saw the hope and love there and knew that it was all being reflected back at her through his eyes. He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers and then gently tugged her towards the checkout counter.

Behind the counter was a woman who looked to be about fifty complete with the tradition salt and pepper hair that accompanied her age. Stephanie fidgeted as she rang up their one and only item. Ranger didn't miss the tender expression on the woman's face as he pulled out his credit card to complete the transaction.

As they left the store, Ranger heard her say quietly, "Good luck". He wasn't sure why, but the sentiment seemed appropriate. He wanted Stephanie to be pregnant and he'd take all the luck they could get to make that a reality.

Half-way to the car, Ranger stopped and pulled her in for a deep probing kiss. "Babe, no matter what, it's okay. I want you to be pregnant, but if you're not, we'll keep trying. I love you."

Stephanie nodded but smiled widely because she knew her body and the test…well, it was just a formality. As they turned and continued to walk to the car, Ranger used his keys to unlock the doors.

The hair stood up on her arms and she felt her Spidey sense tingle when the headlights didn't respond to the command of his keypad. Ranger must have felt it too, because they both slowed their steps. And that's when their whole world turned upside down. There was a brilliant flash as the car exploded in front of their eyes. The blast from the car threw them both spiraling through the air with Ranger coming down hard on top of her, knocking all the breath from her body.

Gasping for air, Stephanie looked up at Ranger who was frantically searching her body for injuries. That's when she saw it, fate came spiraling toward them. She only saw the movement above them for a second, and it happened so fast that she couldn't move or scream. The flying debris came spearing through the air slicing across Ranger's head.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, but it was short lived, because her survival mode had kicked in. Digging into her pocket she found her phone and punched star two.

Tank's groggy voice answered on the second ring. "Yo. I thought you two would be back already."

Gasping for breath, Stephanie tried to speak, but the panic was starting to well up in her and tears were stinging her eyes. Oh, God, please, let Ranger be alright.

"Steph, what's wrong." Tank jerked up from bed and started rummaging around for his pants.

"Tank. Walgreens…Trenton exit…. Help." That's all she was able to get out, because the pain became too intense and the darkness she'd been fighting came to claim her.

Tank went into warp speed as he finished getting dressed. He started to call 911, but decided that he knew someone who could speed up the process. Without questioning his decision, he called the one person he never thought he'd call for help.

_Joe Morelli._

When Joe answered the phone, Tank didn't give him a chance to utter his complaint at being called a midnight. "Morelli, it's Tank. Meet me at the Walgreens on the Trenton exit. Bring the calvary, I think Stephanie and Ranger are hurt."

"I'll be there in ten." His voice was scratchy but alert.

Tank hung up and called the control room as he headed out of his apartment. Thank God, Bobby answered the call. "Meet me in the garage. Bring your medic bag. It's Ranger and Stephanie. I don't know what we're going to find, but I want to be prepared for anything."

"On it,Boss. I'll be there in two minutes. Want me to call Elvis?" Bobby said all this, while he sprinted to the storage closet to retrieve his bag and then took the stairs two at a time.

"No, I'll call him on the way." Tank realized that the phone was no longer necessary because he and Bobby were already walking side by side.

As Bobby careened out of the garage, Tank tried to steady himself as he made the call to Elvis. It made telling Bobby the details unnecessary, because he got them as Tank filled in Elvis. The drive took less than the ten minutes that Tank had told Joe. Tank wasn't surprised to see Joe pull in right beside them.

Both were grim faced as they took in the blazing inferno. Bobby took off at a jog towards the two bodies lying tangled on the pavement. Sirens could be heard coming closer, towards the scene. Tank and Joe both realized that Ranger and Stephanie would be lucky to be alive.

"Bobby?" Tank couldn't bear to say anymore, Bobby would know what he wanted. It would kill him if these two people, who'd become so important to him, were dead.

"I've got pulses on both. I think most of the blood on them is coming from this gash on Ranger's head. I'm not certain about the….other blood on Stephanie." He looked down and nodded towards her blood soaked jeans. He had a sneaking suspicion, but couldn't voice the horrible possibility. He didn't want to move them until the ambulance arrived with a board in case of spinal injuries. Instead he knelt beside them and talked to them, while he covered them with a blanket. Joe and Tank began scanning the area. Stephanie's purse was lying about ten feet away, the contents scattered about. Wallet, lipstick, hairbrush and……their eyes locked on the slim white box at the same time and knew the reason for the blood on Stephanie's jeans.

Simultaneously, they said, "Fuck." Bobby's head popped up, wondering what else could possibly be going on.

"Bobby, I think Stephanie is miscarrying." Tank's voice cracked and if he'd been a crying man, he'd have sunk to the ground and given in to a fit of wailing.

Joe's heart squeezed, first with the jealousy that lurked and then with grief for Stephanie. He stomped off to find something to do besides stand there and feel useless. The paramedics were unloading and he knew he should at least get witness statements. He'd start with the clerk of the store, since it appeared they'd been in there buying a pregnancy test.

Hours later, Joe ran a soot covered hand across his face and went to find Tank. The huge black man was snapping his phone closed as he turned towards Joe. "What's the verdict?"

Joe sighed heavily before giving the man the news. "It appears that the bomb was on a timer. If they hadn't made the stop, they'd have been blown to smithereens just outside the city limits. It looks professional, so I'm going to have to talk to your boss about what the hell he's gotten Stephanie into."

The last of Joe's words were said with just enough bite that normally, Tank would have been offended. However, if he wanted to stay inside the loop, he needed to tread carefully. "Joe, you know as well as I do that Stephanie is capable of getting into these messes all on her own. And before you start, I'm a hundred percent sure that when Ranger's awake, he'll be more than cooperative. He'll be just as pissed as you that someone not only tried to take his wife's life, but managed to take something that was precious to both of them, their child."

Joe looked away and tried to reign in his temper. Tank was right. Now was not the time to dredge up old wounds. "So, it's confirmed. She lost the baby."

Tank just nodded. "Bobby called and said that they're both are stable, but still unconscious. The doctors are keeping them sedated to speed up the healing process. The impact of the fall and Ranger landing on top of her caused Stephanie to lose the baby. She couldn't have been but a couple of week along. It wasn't necessary to do a DNC, but she'll be sore and understandably upset when she wakes up. Ranger's head injury was stitched, but doesn't appear to be very serious. There's some swelling and probably a concussion, but he's had worse."

"I take it you'll have security on their rooms?" Joe's voice was weary now.

Tank studied the man. He was a good cop even if Tank didn't like him very much. His reasons for not liking Joe had nothing to do with his abilities as a professional, but everything to do with his treatment of Stephanie. However, he'd have to trust somebody to help them find whoever did this and better the enemy you know than the one you don't.

"There'll be a twenty-four hour guard on both of their rooms. I'll pull both of their case files for the past three years and start going through them. In the morning, I'll call with an update." That was all he was giving him, no matter what he said.

Joe took in the big guy's demeanor and decided that was good enough for now. "Fine. I'm going to Cop Central to file a report and then go see what else the lab has to say about the device. I'll let you know what I can, when I can. Are you going to call her parents?"

At Tank's curt nod, they parted without another word, both dealing with their own pain. Worrying about Stephanie was a full time job for many people. Both men knew they'd have their hands full with her latest cluster fuck.

_**Finis**_

Epilogue to JYAMB/Prologue to After the Darkness

It's so dark. Where am I? Every fiber of my body hurts. That noise. Would somebody please turn off whatever is making that noise. Where am I? I need…what the hell do I need? _Ranger_. I need Ranger. He'll make the hurt go away. Why can't I open my damn eyes? Ranger, where are you? I need you. The darkness was too much and it I feel it pulling me under again.

_In another room across the hall._

Dark and cold. That's all I know. Where the fuck am I? The tale tell beep beep of machinery. Hospital. Why am I in the hospital? I need….what the hell do I need? All I can remember is Connie calling me. Then there's a sea of blue. Blue? I need blue? That can't be right. Who the fuck needs blue? I keep trying to remember, but it makes my head hurt. The darkness is trying to pull me under again. I can't go until I remember. Blue, blue, blue…..eyes? Holy hell. I'm going insane. I need blue eyes? Shit, here comes the damn darkness again. I can't fight it…just going to let it….take me.

*****AN: Babes, don't hang me on the cross. I know that you were expecting a HEA, however…….that will have to wait until After The Darkness. Don't fret – I have always been and will always be a Babe. The first chapter of the third part of this trilogy will be ready for posting soon.


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